Families celebrating $81M in budget to fix the no-fly list system

It's a welcomeend of an era for Khadija Cajee,Sulemaan Ahmed and theirfamily.

The couple, who live in the Greater Toronto Area, say their eight-year-old son, Adam, has been flagged as a travel risk since he was a toddler. Hisname matches with someone on Canada's so-called no-fly list, which has resulted in years of extra hassle and delays at airports.

A group they belongto, No Fly List Kids, has been pushing for the federal government to reform the system ever since theywent public with theirstory in 2016.

They've asked fora redress mechanism, like the one in place in the United States, that uses dates of birth and other information to remedy cases of mistaken identity.

Tuesday'sfederal budget socksaway $81.4 million over five years, beginning for 2018-2019, and the $14 million ongoing to rejig the system.The funding will be delivered to the Canada Border Services Agency, Public Safety Canada and Transport Canada.

"The enhanced program will help ensure that privacy and fairness concerns are addressed, while keeping Canadians safe," notes the budget.

Members of No Fly List Kids were on hand for the budget reveal in Ottawa.

"What Canadian families have gone through in the last 11 years is hopefully now coming to an end," they wrotein a statement.

The group has lobbied MPsfrom allparties for support and has made multiple trips to Ottawa to make itscase.

Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale saidlast fall that aredress system modelled on the American system could be in place as early as 2018, but the budget doesn't include an updated date.

"We trust that the government has done its due diligence and have arrived at a figure that it deems appropriate in order to adequately address this problem," they said.

Government officials have never said how many people are affected by the no-fly list.