Air Canada Apologizes for Questioning a British Lawmaker About His Background

Canada’s largest airline, Air Canada, has apologized to a British lawmaker, Mohammad Yasin, after lawmakers said Mr. Yasin was singled out for questioning because of his name and background on a recent official trip to the country.

Pablo Rodríguez, the Canadian transport minister, told reporters in Ottawa on Wednesday that his office had contacted the airline about the screening. “We called Air Canada and Air Canada apologized,” Mr. Rodríguez said, “and apologizing was the right thing to do.”

Mr. Yasin, a member of Parliament for the Labour Party, has represented the constituency of Bedford in eastern England since 2017. While leaving for a trip to Canada with other lawmakers last week, he said, he was questioned vigorously at Heathrow Airport near London.

Details of the questioning emerged on Monday when one of Mr. Yasin’s colleagues, Clive Betts, said in remarks to Parliament that Mr. Yasin was the only lawmaker in the group delayed for questioning by officials who they believed worked for Air Canada and the Canadian government.

“He was told that this was because his name is Mohammad,” Mr. Betts said. “He was asked whether he was carrying a knife or other offensive weapon. He was also asked where he was born.”

In a statement emailed to The New York Times, Mr. Yasin said, “It was stressful and humiliating to be singled out in such an aggressive way by immigration control.” His office did not share additional details about the encounter.