Air Canada accused of holding up British MP 'because his name is Mohammad'

London -

Air Canada is being accused in the U.K. House of Commons of delaying a British MP from boarding a flight "because his name is Mohammad."

Clive Betts, standing on a point of order in the House this week, said fellow Labour MP Mohammad Yasin was pulled aside for questioning recently at London's Heathrow airport "for a considerable period" while other lawmakers he was travelling with were allowed through.

Betts told the House that Yasin was asked whether he was carrying a knife and where he was born.

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He said the questioning was being done by "officials from Air Canada and, we believe, the Canadian government" despite Yasin having a visa to enter Canada.

Betts said Yasin was eventually allowed to get on the flight, but he was "challenged" again at the Montreal and Toronto airports.

He said while Yasin has received apologies from Air Canada as well as Canada's parliamentary secretary to the federal immigration minister, it was important to put Yasin's experiences on the parliamentary record due to their "racist and Islamophobic nature."

"We raised the issue with our high commissioner in Ottawa, who was very supportive," Betts is quoted as saying in Hansard, the official record of the proceedings.

"She was amazed at what had happened, given the multicultural nature of Canada as an open and welcoming country. She has raised the matter with the Canadian government and appreciates that I am raising it in Parliament, to try to ensure that no one is treated in this way in future."

Air Canada did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but the airline said in a statement reported by the BBC that it regrets any inconvenience or upset caused and that it has reached out to Yasin to apologize.

"Unfortunately Mr. Yasin was designated for additional screening prior to his flight after a security check, but he was still able to travel as planned as he was quickly cleared," the BBC reported Air Canada said.

"We are following up internally the handling of this particular matter to ensure procedures were properly followed and we have also been in touch with U.K. and Canadian authorities."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 24, 2023.

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