OTTAWA — A federal advisory panel says Ottawa should consider making passports free to everyone for one year to ease the introduction of new no-fly list procedures.
The coming changes will require passengers to present authorized photo identification on flights within Canada, not just international trips, and officials have yet to decide which types of ID will be acceptable.
It's just one of many issues to sort out as the government begins implementing a sweeping national-security bill that received parliamentary approval this week.
Members of the Cross-Cultural Roundtable on Security have told the government that, if a federally acceptable piece of ID is mandatory for domestic travel, it should be easier to get one.
A summary of a roundtable meeting in Vancouver last October says members suggested making passports free to all Canadians for a year, charging no fee for children or applying sliding-scale fees based on income.
Federal officials say they will consult Canadians on the identification question before making regulations.