(London) Air Canada is accused in the House of Commons of delaying the boarding of a British MP on a flight “because his name is Mohammad”.
Published at 12:16 am.
Clive Betts, raising a point of order in the House of Representatives this week, said his Labor colleague Mohammad Yasin was recently singled out for questioning at London’s Heathrow Airport “over an extended period” while other MPs he was traveling with were allowed to pass .
Mr Betts told the House that Mr Yasin was asked if he carried a knife and where he was born.
He said the interview was conducted by “officials from Air Canada and, we believe, the Government of Canada” even though Mr. Yasin had a visa to enter Canada.
Mr Betts said Mr Yasin was eventually allowed to board the flight but was again “challenged” at Montreal and Toronto airports.
He argued that while Mr. Yasin received an apology from Air Canada and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Federal Minister for Immigration, it was important to include Mr. Yasin’s experiences in the parliamentary record due to their “racist and Islamophobic nature.”
“We raised the issue with our high commissioner in Ottawa, who gave us his support,” Betts said in Hansard, the official transcript of the proceedings.
“Given the multicultural nature of Canada as an open and welcoming country, she was surprised by what happened. She has raised the issue with the Canadian government and appreciates me raising it in Parliament to ensure no one is treated this way in the future. »
Air Canada did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but said in a statement reported by the BBC that it regretted any inconvenience or upset and that it had contacted Mr. Yasin to apologize.
“Unfortunately, Mr. Yasin was subjected to additional screening following a security check before his flight, but was still able to travel as planned as he was quickly cleared,” Air Canada said, according to the BBC.
“We are internally monitoring the handling of this particular matter to ensure procedures were followed correctly and we are also in contact with the UK and Canadian authorities. »