TWO Sikh-Canadian activists, Bhagat Singh Brar, Parvkar Singh Dulai, are disputing the federal government’s decision to place them on the no-fly list under the Secure Air Travel Act.
The two along with a third activist have been told there are reasonable grounds to suspect they might threaten transportation security, or travel by air to commit terrorist acts, the National Post reported.
The decisions are being viewed as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s attempt to appease the Indian government of Narendra Modi after the former’s controversial trip to India.
The three contacted well-known Sikh activist from Surrey’s Gurdwara Dashmesh Darbar, Moninder Singh, who told the newspaper that Brar and Dulai are challenging the decisions in court, arguing the no-fly system is unfair and violates the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
The National Post said that Public Safety Canada spokesperson Tim Warmington could not reveal who is added to the “passenger protect” list or how many people are on it for reasons of security.
When Brar, who was given written notice at the Vancouver airport on April 24, 2018, appealed to the government’s Passenger Protect Inquiries Office, he was given an unclassified summary of the information used in his case, and told Public Safety Canada had more classified material. A Public Safety Department official upheld the original decision on December 21, the National Post reported.
[Editor’s note: The authority to make such decision is delegated to Public Safety Canada’s Associate Deputy Minister. It is not an authority exercised by the Public Safety Minister.]
Dulai received notice at Vancouver airport last May 17. A Public Safety Department official confirmed the decision this January 30, according to court documents.
Moninder Singh told National Post that a third Sikh-Canadian man found out in December he was on the list.
Those placed on the no-fly list cannot have access to any information used against them if the government believes that could endanger national security or individual people.
