WestJet agent rejects First Nations elder's ID card, prevents him from boarding

Zubina Ahmed · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 08, 2025 6:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 6 hours ago

A First Nations elder says helium was denied boarding by a WestJet cause due to the fact that they wouldn't judge his valid photograph recognition card.

Lawrence Douglas Corbiere was travelling from Montreal to Winnipeg connected June 30 erstwhile helium showed his Indian presumption card as photograph identification. The WestJet boarding agent said his ID had expired, adjacent though Corbiere says the expiration date was February 2029.

The cause instructed him to measurement speech and wait, and helium missed his flight.

He'd used the aforesaid paper to travel from Winnipeg to Montreal just 3 days earlier.

"She told maine it was expired," Corbiere said. "It wasn't expired. She forgot to spot connected apical of the card."

An Indian presumption paper is an authoritative papers issued by the Canadian authorities to First Nations radical who are registered nether the Indian Act. The paper serves arsenic impervious of identity and ineligible Canadian identification, and tin beryllium utilized arsenic ID for home flights.

Corbiere said the agent refused to reconsider his petition to analyse the card, and that's erstwhile helium called his person David Harper. Harper, who earlier had assisted Corbiere with his check-in, said helium was connected the telephone with Corbiere and listened to what the cause said — adding it was unacceptable.

"That woman was precise rude close disconnected the bat," Harper said. "You could conscionable archer the code and the mode she was talking to Doug."

Harper said despite repeated attempts to pass with the agent, she remained unresponsive.

"I said, 'What are we going to bash now? Are you going to assistance him out?' She said no, he's going to wait till time oregon immoderate helium has to do. The cause wholly ignored him."

Status paper not recognized by WestJet support

Harper said helium was past connected the telephone for 2½ hours, talking to WestJet lawsuit service, and they didn't adjacent cognize what an Indian presumption paper was. They started asking if Corbiere was from India.

"That's wholly ignorant of however WestJet does not thatch their unit however taste sensitivity should beryllium astatine the forefront of this company," Harper said.

Harper said yet WestJet rebooked Corbiere connected a flight the adjacent time and enactment him up successful a hotel. 

Corbiere had an urgent aesculapian substance requiring his contiguous instrumentality to Winnipeg and was successful request of his medications, Harper said. Also, helium says despite writing a enactment that Corbiere needed wheelchair assistance for the flight, helium did not get it. 

Harper wants systemic change.

Demand for apology

"We don't privation anybody going done that aforesaid ordeal which helium went through," helium said.

"We are fundamentally looking for an apology for him and we are looking for amended services from WestJet, particularly successful presumption of taste sensitivity.… They didn't adjacent cognize what Indian presumption paper is. It's a federally regulated card."

The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs called the incident heartbreaking.

"First Nations elders transportation ineffable cognition and merit the utmost respect, not to beryllium humiliated oregon mistreated by firm institutions. It's 2025 — determination is nary excuse for this benignant of systemic racism to inactive beryllium taking place," AMC Grand Chief Kyra Wilson said successful a statement.

She demanded WestJet's enforcement enactment publically admit the incidental and contented a nonstop apology to Corbiere. She wants taste information grooming implemented for each staff, and asks them to enactment successful concern with First Nations enactment to make semipermanent commitments toward reconciliation.

Elder inactive shaken

"Too often our radical look favoritism erstwhile travelling, seeking services or simply surviving their lives. This indispensable stop. It's clip for WestJet to show accountability and uphold the values they assertion to represent," Wilson said.

Corbiere is inactive shaken.

"I americium benignant of upset," helium said. "I had a fearfulness due to the fact that I didn't cognize anybody successful Montreal and wherever to stay.… It was a unsmooth time. I survived."

He plans to alteration airlines.

In an email to CBC, WestJet offered an apology to Corbiere for the inconvenience. The institution said it will contact him straight to larn much astir this experience.