"Because his name is Mohammed?" Another Air Canada story

While navigating the minefield of wokeness, Air Canada seems incapable of avoiding the meadow muffins. It seems like just yesterday [It was just yesterday! Ed.] that we posted an account of how The People's Airline (the epithet used when it was government-owned), lost the wheelchair of its own "Chief Accessibility Officer" (WWW 24/10/23). 

Today the BBC reports that Clive Betts, a British Member of Parliament, has accused Air Canada of delaying another MP at Heathrow "for a considerable period...because his name is Mohammad."

Mr Betts, standing on a point of order in the House of Commons this week, said fellow Labour MP Mohammad Yasin was pulled aside for questioning at London Heathrow (LHR) while other lawmakers he was travelling with were allowed through.

According to Mr Betts, Mr Yasin was asked "by “officials from Air Canada and, we believe, the Canadian government", where he was born and whether he was carrying a knife -- this despite Mr Yasin's having a visa to enter Canada.

Mr Betts said Yasin was eventually allowed to get on the flight, but he was "challenged" again at the Montréal (YUL) and Toronto (YYZ) airports -- both named after Liberal prime ministers, not that it matters. Hey, it's Canada.

Mr Yasin has received apologies from Air Canada as well as the parliament secretary to Canada’s Minister for Refugees and Immigration. In a statement, AC told the Beeb "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 airline went on to say that it regrets any inconvenience or upset caused.

So what's the problem? Mr Betts said it was important to put Mr Yasin's experiences on the parliamentary record due to their "racist and Islamophobic nature." Of course.