Angry in the Great White North

Transport Minister John Baird and Senator Colin Kenny, dressed in vests and ball caps and carrying hotel passcards and clipboards, sauntered onto the tarmac of Pearson International Airport.

Let's be clear about this.  Armed with automatic weapons, or worse, the wrong sort of people could have caused a disaster.  Hundreds of people were put at risk.  Perhaps even thousands.  Not to mention the economic impact of a terrorist attack aimed at Canada's busiest airport.

So what does the GTAA do?  It is punishing the four RCMP officers who were providing personal protection for the minister and the senator.  The GTAA thinks these officers ought to have intervened:

Toronto's airport authority has responded to an alleged security breach at Pearson Airport by pulling escort privileges from four airport Mounties and has urged Transport Canada to investigate the activities involving its own Minister.

The Globe and Mail reported Tuesday that Transportation Minister John Baird and Senator Colin Kenny visited the Toronto airport this past weekend to check on security measures. While doing so, they entered the airport tarmac from a public roadway outside the perimeter without having their credentials checked.

"Preliminary reports from the Minister and the Senator indicate that the RCMP officers were not vigilant in supervising their temporary pass holders," the release said.

"Pending the completion of a review of the situation, the GTAA has revoked the escort privileges of the RCMP officers involved."

The GTAA says the unnamed Mountie escorts had an obligation to "maintain visual contact" on their guests and to notify the GTAA if any breaches occurred.

That's absolute crap, and the GTAA knows it. 

First of all, terrorists don't have personal protection details assigned to them.  Stop trying to change the subject.  It's not working.

Second, these officers were doing their jobs.  Look at this overview of RCMP responsibilities:

2.1.1 General Duty Protective Policing (GDPP) - Activities related to the protection of designated foreign mission and Canadian executive sites, including but not limited to: embassies high commissions, consulates, Parliament Hill, Supreme and Federal Courts

2.1.2 Very Important Persons Security (VIP) - Activities related to the protection of foreign visiting IPPs; persons designated by the Minister and designated Canadian executives, including but not limited to: Supreme, Federal and Tax Courts Justices.

2.1.3 Prime Minister's Protection Detail (PMPD) - Activities related to the protection of the Prime Minister, spouse and family as well as their official and personal residences

2.1.4 Canadian Air Carrier Protective Program (CACPP) - Activities related to the administration of the Canadian Air Carrier Protective Program, including policy centre, central travel unit, central training and delivery of program through field units

2.1.5 Governor General Protection Duties - Activities related to the protection of the Governor General, spouse and family as well as their official and personal residences

That is a direct extract from the document, without any intervening elements removed.  You have protection for very important persons, protection of the prime minister, protection of airports, and protection of the governor general.

The placement of the CACPP amidst these protective details is not an accident.  Protection of airports is considered an integral part of protecting members of Canada's government.

It could be argued that these Mounties perceived a problem with airport security, thanks to Baird and Kenny, and did their duty by allowing the investigation to proceed.

But really, this response by the GTAA is ridiculous, and to his credit, John Baird knows it, and is calling the GTAA out on it:

Mr. Baird suggested the airport officials were trying to avoid addressing the problem.

"The concern that I have is the Greater Toronto Airport Authority is somehow wanting to blame the RCMP who are driving us around," said Mr. Baird. "Listen, there's a real problem there. It's not my job to sweep the problem under the rug. We're going to tackle it head on."

It is the worst sort of cover-your-ass behaviour I have seen in a long time.

Personally, I would seriously consider replacing the entire board of directors of the GTAA.  Not just for the breach, but that ought to be enough for the board to hand in their resignations.  But for this ridiculous response.  Clearly, they see protecting their jobs as their first priority.

Time for a GTAA board of directors with a new set of priorities.

Check out other stories from the Toronto Airport Breach archive.