Bedford and Kempston’s MP, Mohammad Yasin (Labour) has told the Bedford Independent that it was “stressful and humiliating” to be singled out by Canadian border officials last week.
Mr Yasin was travelling with other MPs from the House of Commons levelling up, housing and communities committee, but was the only member of the contingent to be stopped before boarding the flight. He was told it was “because his name is Mohammad”.
The chair of the committee, Clive Betts MP (Labour) raised a point of order in the House of Commons on Monday (23 October) saying the incident was of a “racist and Islamophobic nature”. He has said he will write to the Canadian high commissioner in the UK to raise the issue with him.
Mr Betts said: “[Mr Yasin] was asked whether he was carrying a knife or other offensive weapon; he was also asked where he was born.
“The questioning was undertaken by officials from Air Canada and, we believe, the Canadian Government, despite my hon. Friend having already been given a visa to enter Canada. After proving that he was an MP, with help from our Committee Clerk, he was eventually allowed through.”
He confirmed that Mr Yasin was challenged at Montreal and Toronto airports and said: “It was completely unacceptable for a Member of this House to be treated in this way.
“Because he was an MP, my hon. Friend was allowed on his flights; if, however, one of our constituents had been so challenged, they might have been refused.”
In a statement to the Bedford Independent, Mr Yasin said: “It was stressful and humiliating to be singled out in such an aggressive way by immigration control, especially when travelling in a group as a representative of the British Parliament on long arranged Committee business.
“While I don’t expect special treatment as a Member of Parliament, it does concern me that had I not been an MP, how much worse the experience might have been.
“I am grateful for the cross-party support I have received from Parliament, the chair of the Levelling Up Committee and the Commons Speaker and am happy to accept the invitation from the Canadian High Commission to discuss my experience further.”
