Families are raising concerns that a federal legislation, designed to help children wrongly impacted by the ‘no-fly list,’ could be grounded by the SNC-Lavalin hearings.
The issue prompted a London father to take to Twitter to voice concerns about the possibility the legislation could be lost.
Zamir Khan’s son, Sebastian, is about to celebrate his fifth birthday. From the time Sebastian was six weeks old the family noticed they were being subjected to long delays at airports.
A year later they learned that the reason for the delays was that Sebastian’s name matched one on the ‘no-fly list,’ the list that identifies potential national security risks.
Bill C-59, a legislation designed to address a number of security measures, contains changes that many families believe would limit or eliminate unnecessary travel delays.
Those hearings are to be held by the Senate National Security and Defence Committee, the same committee that is conducting the hearing looking into whether the Prime Minister’s Office pressured then Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould with regards to SNC-Lavalin.
Khan worries that any delays could mean C-59 won’t pass before the current session of Parliament closes.
An election in the fall would mean the next government would have to write new legislation, beginning the process of getting that legislation passed all over again.
In his Twitter thread, Khan tells of how he, as a political novice, has spent substantial time working with governmental officials and politicians:
“Testified before parliamentary committee on #cdnnatsec, #YOW again for 2018 budget, so many calls with MPs, Senators, and bureaucrats I've lost count, and surely I'm forgetting more. Point is, I'm no political sage, but I've spent considerable (unpaid) time navigating the system.”
Khan and other parents of ‘no-fly’ kids, have expressed concerns about the stigma children face when travelling on school trips or with friends, and having to explain why they are being pulled away in the airport.
His Twitter feed also speaks of the sacrifices he feels he’s made with respect to his son:
“What I can't live with, is the guilt of putting our son in the media spotlight in the naive hope that we could make a difference. Tainting his online footprint before he could even talk and for nothing?! I've felt that guilt for 3 years but put it aside for a ‘greater good’.”
Khan’s Twitter thread has prompted an outpouring of support and calls for the Government to ensure Bill C-59 is passed before the current session of parliament ends.
