Posted on 12/07/2004 6:12:49 PM PST by kupia_kummi
OTTAWA -- Unhappy with RCMP answers about what was seen as excessive security during last week's presidential visit, members of Parliament are setting their sights higher up the Mountie chain of command.
MPs hauled an inspector and a sergeant-major on the carpet Tuesday to explain why some members and senators had a hard time getting through security lines during the presidential visit.
They weren't happy with the answers and decided to call Dwight McCallum, assistant commissioner and director of protective policing, and Line Carbonneau, chief superintendent for protective operations, to appear next week.
A suggestion to call Commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli, the top Mountie, was put off.
Security for last week's visit by President George W. Bush was so tight that an MP compared it to a guest who takes over the dining room and leaves his hosts on the patio outside.
Michel Guimond of the Bloc used the homey metaphor to illustrate his concerns about the security, which kept some MPs from getting to Parliament.
"As an MP, Parliament is, to some extent, our home," he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at canada.com ...
I guess they can't legitimatly complain about the vote in Ohio up there so they find the next best issue to complain about.
Bite us.
Not to worry--we just wanted to keep out the trash.....
Isn't 'irked' their normal state?
To comply with Canadian law, your comment must be posted in both English and French. Please allow me:
Mangez nous!
Why did Bush go there anyway? The Canadians did not want him. We don't want them.
Liberal Canuk's hate Bush, and the MP's don't understand the excessive security?
Vito Pilieci
The Ottawa Citizen
Free Dominion
(Bush supporters gathered at the edge ofthe Airport Parkway to welcome the U.S. president as his motorcade passed on its way into the city centre yesterday morning). The president was happy to acknowledge the friendly greeting
While downtown streets were closed to pedestrians, school buses were cancelled in the name of security and protesters were kept out of the sight of George W. Bush, about 60 pro-Bush demonstrators were allowed to stand within metres of the U.S. president's motorcade as it left Ottawa Airport yesterday.
Connie Wilkins, a member of a pro-United States website, www.FreeDominion.ca, and one of the organizers of the rally, said her group contacted RCMP when they heard Mr. Bush was coming. Ms. Wilkins said the group alerted RCMP they intended to be on the parkway, just past the first bridge on the way out of the airport, and the force had no problem with them setting up a rally there.
"We had to kind of keep our plans under wraps until the last minute," said Ms. Wilkins. "When we found out that President Bush was coming to Canada, we immediately started talking to the RCMP, as well as the American embassy, because they were familiar with us."
An elaborate plan was created that would see the group call a pro-Bush rally at South Keys shopping centre, only minutes from the airport, shortly before Mr. Bush's arrival. From there, demonstrators would walk to the east side of the Airport Parkway, where they could wave, cheer and welcome Mr. Bush to Canada.
A spokeswoman for Ottawa police said security was aware the group intended to be at the roadside and no action was taken to stop them.
"We expected the demonstrations to be peaceful and the police were prepared to react accordingly," said Ottawa police Const. Josette Sencal.
She said police did not intend to prevent any type of demonstration, whether it was pro- or anti-American.
Ms. Wilkins and her group of about 60 was permitted to stand less than four metres from where the president passed. He smiled and waved back to the demonstrators as his car rolled past.
Ms. Wilkins said while she did not know many of the people who followed her group to the parkway, she was confident that no one would use the pro-Bush rally to try and hurt the president.
"We were told the area we had to stand in. We had to be a certain distance back from the road and we were told if anyone got on the gravel, before the road, it would assumed that they were a threat and they would be dealt with immediately," she said. "They took lots of security precautions." John Thompson, director of the Toronto-based Mackenzie Institute, a think tank that specializes in terrorism, said it is highly unlikely the demonstrators could have presented a serious threat to the presidential motorcade, even if they wanted to. Mr. Bush's car is practically impervious to small weapons fire and members of the Secret Service would have been watching the crowd closely, he said.
Glad these Canucks were duly impressed.
Ah, so you speak for all Americans AND Canadians?
Mangez nous!
Thank you so much. Always want to be in compliance. :-)
Only about a half dozen members of Parliament had a hard time getting through security lines.
It sounds like they were too lax, I would have guessed the numbers much higher. (/sar)
MPs hauled an inspector and a sergeant-major on the carpet Tuesday to explain why some members and senators had a hard time getting through security lines during the presidential visit.
Because.
Next question.
Always want to be in compliance
Strange I thought you were in Oklahoma?
Very observant of you. Yes I am. However, we Oklahomans are very compliant with all rules and regs, everybody knows that. LOL.
That's brilliant.
The RCMP shouldn't be called onto the carpet because they were smart enough to trust Free Dominioners over Liberal MPs.
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