B.C. mother calls on Ottawa to fix no-fly list error that flags her 4-year-old daughter - Action News
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British Columbia

B.C. mother calls on Ottawa to fix no-fly list error that flags her 4-year-old daughter

Amber Cammish and dozens of members of No Fly List Kids are asking Ottawa to improve administration of the federal no-fly list.

Amber Cammish says it can take several additional hours for her daughter to clear airport security

Khaled Mohamed, seen with his four year old daughter Alia, is among those who face additional security checks due to his child's name. (Amber Cammish)

A B.C. mother was among the dozens of frustrated parents on Parliament Hillon Monday, calling on the government to overhaul the country's no-fly list.

Amber Cammishsays she routinely faces delays and additional screening at airports because her four-year-old daughter's name is similar to a nameon the watchlist.

A spokesman for the federal government says that there are no children on the no-fly list.

Cammish says the confusion has produceddelays as short as 15 minutes, but other as long as several hours.

"We are very fearful of travelling internationally," explainedCammishin an interview withOn the Coast'sStephen Quinn.

Cammishis part of a group called No Fly List Kids. Its members include about 100 families in similar situations. The group is seeking a redress system that could provide a means to clear children's names from the list.

Canada's no-fly list has been estimated to contain the names of as many as 2,000 people considered a threat, though government officials have not confirmed a number.

Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said on Monday that he agrees there needs to be changes to the system.

"There was a design flaw in the no-fly list was structured, where instead of the airlines providing the flight manifest to the government, the government provides the no-fly list to the airlines," explained Goodale.

However, Cammish worries about how long it will take the government to create and implement a new system.

"We need to, right now, ensure that all of these thousands of Canadians that are falsely identified with this list, need to be able to clear their names so their future electronic identity is no longer tied to this list."

Listen to the full interview below:

With files from On the Coast