Canada takes its national security seriously, which is why its no-fly list includes potentially dangerous passengers, like Sebastian David Khan.
Sebastian - wait for it - is 21 months old.
Apparently all eight times that he's boarded a domestic flight within the country, he has been pulled aside and flagged by security staff.
And each time, the London, Ont., boy's family endures a delay while it is subjected to this ridiculous charade - all because Khan's name happens to match that of an adult on the government watchlist.
“I know it seems like a minor inconvenience, but travelling with an infant is a minor feat in itself,” said Sebastian's mom, Heather Harder.
And Sebastian is not the only child up against an absurdist bit of red tape.
Six year-old Syed Adam Ahmed from Markham, Ont., is also consistently screened.
Fortunately, embarrassing media attention has a habit of getting a red-faced government to act.
Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale has contacted Sebastian's family directly and vowed to look into the matter. Let's hope he sticks to his word, after the limelight inevitably shifts.
In the meantime, frustrated parents in this situation contemplate changing their child's name.
“We agreed when the kids were born they would have my last name, but if that’s going to be the difference between them getting harassed on their travels, and not …” said Khan.
The point is, parents shouldn't have to change their child's name just to get around a policy that itself is broken. After all, many people share the same name, but few share the same birth year.
“We enter his birth date when we buy his ticket,” said Khan. “My question is, why can’t they automate this?”
Come on, Canada, it's 2016. You can do so much better.
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