Gov't rejects AC request for security assessment access

The federal Public Safety Department has rejected Air Canada's request for regular access to security risk assessments.

According to a report by The Canadian Press, the carrier has expressed concern to the federal government about accommodating sky marshals on its flights, often at significant cost.

In a submission to a federal review panel, Air Canada said if a marshal requests a specific seat, it must be provided even if it has been sold to a passenger.

It recommended the RCMP share all data regarding risk assessments for individual flights with airlines, allowing carriers to make educated judgments about whether to cancel a flight.

Air Canada also wants the government to generally focus the sky marshal program only on flights that have a pre-agreed level of risk.

The report quoted Public Safety spokeswoman Josee Sirois as stating details of risk assessments cannot be shared due to security reasons.