11-07-2025
WestJet apologizes to elder for ID refusal
WestJet has apologized and offered compensation to a Winnipeg First Nations elder who wasn't allowed to board a flight from Montreal using his Indian status card as ID.
Lawrence Douglas Corbiere was headed home to Winnipeg June 30 when he presented his status card as identification to a WestJet agent. The agent told him the ID was expired and to step aside, despite the card having a printed expiry date of 2029. It had been accepted without issue a few days earlier, when he travelled to Montreal.
Corbiere, 69, has medical needs and mobility issues and needed to get home quickly. He missed his flight and was not given a wheelchair he requested, leaving him stranded at the airport.
'I didn't know nobody there, and fear started to set in, I was getting scared, (wondering) where am I going to stay?' Corbiere said.
A Certificate of Indian Status issued by Indian and Northern Affairs Canada is one of the accepted forms of Canadian photo identification that can be used to fly in Canada.
Corbiere called a friend, former Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak grand chief David Harper, who spent hours with WestJet customer service trying to rectify the situation.
He said the agent was cruel and dismissive to Corbiere, and a customer service representative asked if the card meant that Corbiere was from India.
Eventually, WestJet put Corbiere up in a hotel and he took a flight home the next day without issue; Harper wonders why WestJet staff lacked basic understanding about an often-used piece of government-issued identification.
'He paid for a ticket, and he had a ticket, but his ID was misread and he was totally ignored after that,' said Harper. 'She didn't want to talk to anybody, the agent in Montreal, I said, 'Can you ask her for her name, I need to know your name,' she just totally said, 'I don't have time.' It was arrogant.'
In an emailed statement, WestJet public relations co-ordinator Julia Brunet said the airline had reached out to Corbiere to apologize and would 'continue to engage with its third-party service partners to ensure proper training remains a priority.'
WestJet said it would reimburse him for out-of-pocket expenses associated with the disruption and offer compensation 'as a gesture of goodwill.'
Corbiere said he had been contacted by WestJet, but wasn't sure if he was ready to accept the apology.
'They need to be better to their travellers, especially elders,' he said.
Harper said WestJet must ensure this doesn't happen again.
'There should be more cultural sensitivity training for front-line staff, especially the ones that interact with customers every day.'
Malak AbasReporter
Malak Abas is a city reporter at the Free Press. Born and raised in Winnipeg's North End, she led the campus paper at the University of Manitoba before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read more about Malak.
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