Full-body scanners to be put in Canadian airports
Pastor Dale Morgan
Full-body scanners to be put in Canadian airports
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By ROB GILLIES
The Associated Press
Tuesday, January 5, 2010; 7:01 PM
TORONTO -- Full-body scanners will be introduced in Canada in the wake
of the failed Christmas Day bombing attempt of a U.S. airliner, Canada's
transport minister said Tuesday.
Transport Minister John Baird said 44 machines will be purchased. Twelve
will be put in place later this month, and the rest will be operational
in the spring.
Transport Canada spokesman Patrick Charette said the scanners will be
used only on passengers boarding U.S.-bound flights. He said Washington
requested that Canada deploy new scanning equipment.
Toronto, which has Canada's busiest airport, and Vancouver, host of the
Winter Olympics next month, will get the first scanners.
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Passengers will given a choice between a full-body scan and a physical
search. Passengers under the age of 18 aren't required to be scanned
Baird also said they will set up an airport watch system to look for
suspicious passengers and flag them for enhanced screening.
"We've got to stay ahead of the terrorist elements," Baird said.
Canadian officials last week banned most carry-on luggage for U.S.-bound
passengers in an effort to ease lines at security checkpoints.
Passengers complained of chaos and long lines at Pearson International
Airport in Toronto after the failed Christmas Day attack.
The suspect in the failed Northwest Airlines bombing had changed planes
in the Netherlands and gone through security, but not through a
full-body scanner.
Baird said the plane would have blown up some where over southern
Ontario en route to Detroit's airport had the suspect's attempt been
successful.
"Given the recent terrorist incident on Dec. 25, our government is
accelerating its actions to protect air travelers," Baird said.
Canada tested a scanner at a small airport in Kelowna, British Columbia,
in 2008. The scanners received the blessing of Canada's privacy czar
last October.
Britain, Nigeria and the Netherlands earlier announced plans for body
scanners.
Canada has tried to make traffic between the U.S. and Canada run
efficiently since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. More than 70
percent of Canada's exports go to the U.S., and Canada has more flights
to the U.S. than any other country.
Jennifer Iorio, a passenger at the U.S. departure lounge of Montreal's
Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, predicted the security
measures would probably add an extra half-hour to the already
time-consuming airplane boarding process.
"I wish there were other methods that were less invasive, but if it's
something they have to do for airport security, I agree with it," Iorio
said.