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According to Veronica Kitchen, an associate professor at the University of Waterloo and counterterrorism expert, the real question is whether Ahmed was put on a Canadian or American no-fly list, noting how difficult it is to get removed from the American list as a non-citizen."[This] means he's on someone's list, I'm just not sure if it's the Canadian or American list," Kitchen said. "I see that Ralph Goodale has gotten involved, and if it's the Canadian list he's on, then Goodale does have the authority to have him removed. To be removed from American list, as a foreign national, they would not even tell you if you're on the list, and it would be much more difficult to be removed."Kitchen also added that the purpose of no-fly lists are generally to prevent suspected terrorists or terrorist recruiters from traveling to other countries, and that Ahmed's name may have associated him with someone on one of those lists.When asked by VICE whether the DHP list and the no-fly list are the same, Air Canada could not provide specific comment. The airline also declined to confirm whether Ahmed was on a Canadian or American no fly list.The Trudeau government has promised to take another look at no-fly lists in the past, but has yet to set in place a timeline on any specific action. Goodale described Ahmed's experience as a "cause for concern" and said he will be reviewing the case.Follow Jake Kivanc on Twitter.