A First Nations elder says he was denied boarding by a WestJet agent because they wouldn’t accept his valid photo identification card.
Lawrence Douglas Corbiere was travelling from Montreal to Winnipeg on June 30 when he showed his Indian status card as photo identification. The WestJet boarding agent said his ID had expired, even though Corbiere says the expiration date was February 2029.
The agent instructed him to step aside and wait, and he missed his flight.
He’d used the same card to travel from Winnipeg to Montreal just three days earlier.
“She told me it was expired,” Corbiere said. “It wasn’t expired. She forgot to see on top of the card.”
An Indian status card is an official document issued by the Canadian government to First Nations people who are registered under the Indian Act. The card serves as proof of identity and legal Canadian identification, and can be used as ID for domestic flights.
Corbiere said the agent refused to reconsider his request to examine the card, and that’s when he called his friend David Harper. Harper, who earlier had assisted Corbiere with his check-in, said he was on the phone with Corbiere and listened to what the agent said — adding it was unacceptable.
“That lady was very rude right off the bat,” Harper said. “You could just tell the tone and the way she was talking to Doug.”
Harper said despite repeated attempts to communicate with the agent, she remained unresponsive.
“I said, ‘What are we going to do now? Are you going to help him out?’ She said no, he’s going to wait till tomorrow or whatever he has to do. The agent totally ignored him.”
Harper said he was then on the phone for 2½ hours, talking to WestJet customer service, and they didn’t even know what an Indian status card was. They started asking if Corbiere was from India.
“That’s totally ignorant of how WestJet does not teach their staff how cultural sensitivity should be at the forefront of this company,” Harper said.
Harper said eventually WestJet rebooked Corbiere on a flight the next day and put him up in a hotel.
Corbiere had an urgent medical matter requiring his immediate return to Winnipeg and was in need of his medications, Harper said. Also, he says despite writing a note that Corbiere needed wheelchair assistance for the flight, he did not get it.
Harper wants systemic change.
“We don’t want anybody going through that same ordeal which he went through,” he said.
“We are basically looking for an apology for him and we are looking for better services from WestJet, especially in terms of cultural sensitivity.… They didn’t even know what Indian status card is. It’s a federally regulated card.”
The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs called the incident heartbreaking.
“First Nations elders carry sacred knowledge and deserve the utmost respect, not to be humiliated or mistreated by corporate institutions. It’s 2025 — there is no excuse for this kind of systemic racism to still be taking place,” AMC Grand Chief Kyra Wilson said in a statement.
She demanded WestJet’s executive leadership publicly acknowledge the incident and issue a direct apology to Corbiere. She wants cultural safety training implemented for all staff, and asks them to work in partnership with First Nations leadership to develop long-term commitments toward reconciliation.
“Too often our people face discrimination when travelling, seeking services or simply living their lives. This must stop. It’s time for WestJet to demonstrate accountability and uphold the values they claim to represent,” Wilson said.
Corbiere is still shaken.
“I am kind of upset,” he said. “I had a fear because I didn’t know anybody in Montreal and where to stay.… It was a rough time. I survived.”
He plans to change airlines.
In an email to CBC, WestJet offered an apology to Corbiere for the inconvenience. The company said it will contact him directly to learn more about this experience.
