Mr. Speaker, the secure flight program changes being proposed by the United States government is one of the most significant affronts to the sovereignty of Canada that we have witnessed in recent memory.
In essence, regulations are being proposed which require detailed information from passenger lists for Canadian flights which pass over the United States air space. This is an unprecedented violation of the privacy of Canadians and for non-Canadians who fly on Canadian air carriers.
Let us be clear. This material is not being collected in respect of those Canadian flights that actually land in the Untied States. This is information relating to Canadian air carrier flights that merely fly over United States air space for a specific amount of time.
First of all, what is it that the Bush administration is looking for from Canadian air carriers? It is demanding that 72 hours in advance of a given flight it receives the names, dates of birth, passport information, booking information and itinerary details, not to mention the possibility of meal preferences, and payment information and seat selection.
All of this information is being requested for passengers on Canadian air carriers who do not actually even land in the United States.
Needless to say, many individuals and groups are concerned about the extent of the information being requested and the circumstances under which it is being demanded.
What about those Canadians who might be flying to the U.S. embargoed island of Cuba? Once the United States has confirmation that they have travelled to Cuba, what happens the next time they enter the United States? Or, what of the American citizen who travels to Cuba on a Canadian carrier?
The problem is that the whole exercise is a massive invasion of personal privacy.
On a related front, the U.S. secretary of homeland security, Michael Chertoff, wrote a letter on July 26, 2007 to the council of the European Union in an attempt to allay fears about personal information the U.S. wished to collect.
In his letter the secretary noted that the Americans would put in place privacy safeguards to protect information that might reveal, “--racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership and data concerning health or sex life of the individual”.
Has the world gone made? Forget about George Orwell's 1984, we have George Bush's “2007”.
In recent days we have seen discussions once again about the United States government's conduct in respect of Mr. Maher Arar. We can look at what transpired here and conclude quite reasonably that most Canadians will not be comfortable providing the kind of information that is being asked for under the American secure flight program.
My question is simply this. Why has the government been so quiet and so ineffective in protecting the most basic rights of Canadians and those who choose to fly on Canadian carriers entering United States air space?