This is what happens when political correctness takes precedence over common sense.
Air Canada screening under scrutiny after disguised passenger lands in Vancouver
Air Canada screening under scrutiny after disguised passenger lands in Vancouver
By Tobi Cohen, Douglas Quan And Amy Minsky, Postmedia News November 6, 2010
Air Canada's screening procedures are under investigation following the bizarre story of an Asian asylum seeker who boarded a flight from Hong Kong to Vancouver expertly disguised as an elderly Caucasian man.
A spokesman for Transport Minister Chuck Strahl said airlines are required to verify the identity of all passengers who appear to be 18 years or older as per identity screening regulations that were updated as recently as this fall.
"That means air carriers are supposed to look at a passenger's face to determine if they appear to be over 18, and if so, compare their physical appearance with their travel documents," John Babcock said.
What's not clear is whether those procedures were followed in this case and, according to the Canada Border Services Agency, which intercepted the man when he landed in Vancouver on Oct. 29, that's what authorities are looking into.
"Transport Canada is aware of the incident and is investigating whether the identity screening regulations were respected," the agency said.
According to the regulations, which were clarified Sept. 30 after a video surfaced of two veiled Muslim travellers boarding an Air Canada plane in Montreal, apparently without having to lift their niqabs to confirm their identities, the rules apply to domestic and international flights taking off or landing at a listed Canadian airport.
The regulation states passengers' faces must be screened against government-issued photo ID that shows the passenger's name, date of birth and gender. Alternatively, passengers can provide a restricted area identity card or two pieces of government-issued ID, at least one of which contains that information.
But airlines don't actually have any legal obligation to protect Canadian security or to enforce Canadian immigration law, said Richard Kurland, a policy analyst and immigration lawyer based in Vancouver. They are, however, subject to fines and penalties under terms of a transportation bond that air carriers have to post in order to gain access to Canada, he said.
"So for Air Canada, it's a business risk," Kurland said. "The government motivates carriers through the bond system. If you do a good job, and relatively few people enter Canada illicitly on your airline, you'll have lower fines and penalties."
Air carriers are, in most cases, prohibited from boarding passengers who don't resemble their photo ID, don't appear to be the right gender or age or if there's a major discrepancy between different ID items that have been presented, the government regulations say.
An individual who breaks the rules could face a fine of $5,000, while corporations may face $25,000 in fines.
Michel Juneau-Katsuya, a former intelligence officer with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, said it appears the airline dropped the ball.
"I think that the problem here is coming from Air Canada itself," he told Global National. "Its employees are supposed to be verifying the boarding pass and a photo ID to confirm that the person holding the boarding pass is the right person."
Air Canada offered few explanations for what might have happened, noting the investigation is incomplete.
"It should be noted that there are multiple identity checks before departure at the Hong Kong international airport, including Chinese government-run Hong Kong passport control, which Hong Kong-originating passengers must undergo," spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick said.
Kurland speculated that the man went through domestic security at the airport before putting on his disguise, after which he likely swapped boarding passes with another passenger, then feigned mobility and communication issues to pass through gate security.
Conservative House leader and former transportation minister John Baird said the incident is of "deep concern" and that there will be a "full investigation."
According to a confidential CBSA intelligence report dated Nov. 1 and obtained by CNN, a "possible impostor" was identified by Air Canada Corporate Security after a seemingly elderly man was spotted with "younger-looking hands."
"During the flight the subject attended the washroom and emerged as an Asian male that appeared to be in his early 20s," the alert said.
It's believed the man swapped boarding passes with a U.S. citizen and passenger who was born in 1955.
Border services officers met the man at the gate in Vancouver and escorted him off the aircraft and through the primary inspection line, where he made a claim for refugee protection, the alert said. He's been detained pending a hearing before the Immigration and Refugee Board.
If there is a claim to refugee status, his case will join a three-year inventory behind hundreds of others who have used creative ways to enter Canada, Kurland said.
"Canada's immigration system is limited only by human ingenuity. It's a social-Darwin immigration maze," Kurland said. "People have used wigs, false glasses, costumes, wheelchairs, you name it, to get to Canada. If you're smart enough to manoeuvre the maze, you have some admirable qualities, and you might do well in Canada."
Although it appears Canadian regulations insist upon it, Charles Slepian, an aviation security expert with the Foreseeable Risk Analysis Center based in Oregon, said passengers aren't always required to present identification upon boarding, given they've already cleared security and have a boarding pass for the flight.
He speculates the man may have initially been travelling within the country and cleared the first security hurdles as himself before putting on the disguise and acquiring a different boarding pass. That said, Slepian noted it would have been hard to get to the international departures area if he didn't have a passport and visa for international travel.
"Based on what I've heard it's extremely bizarre," he said. "I really don't know how he breached security."
Lloyd Easterling, spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said he can't recall a case of anyone attempting to get into the country wearing a mask, though he has come across other bizarre tales.
A couple of years ago, a woman had surgery to alter her fingerprints. She had a criminal record and would otherwise have been barred from entering the country.
One man, sitting in the back of a van, tried to pass himself off as a chair, he said, adding the man encased himself in fabric, went into a sitting position and used his arms as arm rests.
A spokeswoman for the Chinese Embassy in Ottawa had few details about the incident and noted it was the first time she had heard of anybody trying to enter the country in a mask.
"I am also surprised to see how realistic it is," she said. "This is a single and special case. I believe both China and Canada will deal with this case in the light of law."
The confidential alert which, according to CBSA, will never be officially released, also contained three photos of the man. The first shows a thin, 20-something Asian man in a button-down striped shirt and a shaggy haircut, his eyes obscured.
The second shows him in a silicone old-man mask, which covers his chest and shoulders. An official's hand can be seen in the photo lifting a corner of the mask, which is draped over his shirt.
In the last photo, the mask is tucked into his shirt and he's wearing his full disguise, which includes a cardigan, glasses and a hat.
The man originally claimed to have only one piece of luggage, but the border officers found two more. One bag contained personal clothing, a second contained a pair of gloves and a third contained a "disguise kit," including a silicone-type head and neck mask of an elderly Caucasian male, a brown leather cap, glasses and a thin brown cardigan.
The alert said the man donned the disguise for border officers, even mimicking the movements of an elderly person, and admitted he boarded the flight with the disguise on and removed it several hours later.
In addition to the boarding card, the man provided an Aeroplan card -- issued by Air Canada's frequent flyer program -- as identification when he boarded in Hong Kong. Neither boarding passes nor Aeroplan cards have dates of birth on them.
The man's name and home country have not been released, but CBSA officials referred to him as a "foreign national."
CBSA officials would only say that they "intercepted and detained" a traveller "attempting to enter Canada under false pretences."Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Canada+screening+under+scrutiny+after+disguised+passenger+lands+Vancouver/3787824/story.html#ixzz14fjFtyp5
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