U.S. air-security rules cause Canadian turbulence

[Newsjock]

Source: Canadian Press

OTTAWA — New American rules intended to beef up air security threaten the privacy of Canadians, pose financial headaches for small airlines and could disrupt the plans of sun-seeking travellers, critics say.

The U.S. Transportation Security Administration is pushing ahead with plans to collect personal information about air passengers on flights passing through American airspace, even if the plane never touches down on U.S. soil.

The name, gender and birth date of Canadians flying from Toronto to destinations such as Cuba, Mexico or Europe will be transmitted by airlines to the TSA under its Secure Flight program, to take effect next year. The agency will then vet the names against security watch lists aimed at keeping dangerous people on the ground.

... Roch Tasse of the Ottawa-based International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group considers the program a threat to Canadian sovereignty.

“It's the United States having control over which Canadians are allowed to board a plane or not,” he said.

Read more: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.2008...

[BunkerHill24]

1. This is completely unacceptable...Canadians should refuse to give in

[Doctor Cynic]

2. Some airline should promise that their flights will not fly over the US, and charge higher fares.

[BunkerHill24]

3. Why should anyone pay extra to fly over any airspace?

Is this becoming sort of US airspace piracy?

I am saddened this is what the reward is for Canadians after they welcomed so many Americans during 911 attacks.

[Hawkeye-X]

4. Obama needs to disband the HS Department

and allow the respective alphabetical agencies to return to their roots.

[tuvor]

5. The USA already got Canada to create a no-fly list, so what's the point?

From last year...

U.S. wants Canadian airlines to disclose passenger info

...

No-fly list already in place

Still, Gaspar told the CBC the proposal seems out of place, since Canada already has its own no-fly list in place — a list that was developed, in fact, after close consultation with the U.S. government.

"The Canadian and U.S. governments have been co-operating quite extensively on the development of secure civil aviation," Gaspar said Thursday. "Why would you encourage the Canadian government to develop its own no-fly list if you're now saying, 'Thank you very much, it's no value for us'?"

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2007/10/11/uscanada-fligh...

[jeff30997]

6. What a bunch of mofos!

Apparently U.S fascism is spreading.If I want to go to Europe I'll take a boat.

I prefer to be seasick for a week rather than play by their rules.It

reminds me of the good old days of McCarthyism.