Keep Your Shoes On: Canada to Align With New U.S. Screening Policy

The federal government says it will work to align its flight security regulations with those in the U.S. after Washington dropped a rule that required passengers to remove their shoes during security screenings.

Unless a security officer decides it is necessary, Canada does not require passengers flying domestically or to non-U.S. destinations to take off their shoes for screening. However, those flying to the U.S. through the immigration pre-clearance sections of Canadian airports have been required to remove footwear.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced on Tuesday that passengers at American airports are no longer required to remove their shoes. The stated reasoning is that  officials have found other ways to keep travellers safe.

The U.S. Transportation Security Administration introduced the no-shoes rule nearly 20 years ago, after Richard Reid, who became infamous as the “shoe bomber,” tried to trigger explosives hidden in his shoes on a Paris to Miami flight in 2001.

In a statement, Transport Canada says it “will work with the Transportation Security Administration to ensure requirements are aligned.”