Friday, March 19, 2010

More Conservative airport security adventures

I admit some sympathy here -- the restrictions on what you carry on are silly. BUT, the "heated argument" part is an issue. They say no, you accept it like everyone else.

http://tinyurl.com/y9eyqpv


Veterans Affairs Minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn has apologized for trying to bring a bottle of tequila through security at Ottawa airport last month.

Blackburn is the second member of Stephen Harper's cabinet forced to offer a public apology after recent exchanges with security personnel at Canadian airports.

"On February 23 I was at the Ottawa airport and a bottle of alcohol was confiscated from me because it exceeded the 100 millilitre limit," Blackburn said in a statement Friday.

Blackburn's statement comes after a CTV report quoted sources saying Blackburn tried to circumvent airport security rules by asking the bottle be kept for him and subsequently became involved in a heated argument with security officials when they refused his request.

In the statement, Blackburn said that since he was required to leave the bottle behind, he asked that it be destroyed.

"At no point did I request preferential treatment; it’s not in my nature," the minister said in his statement. "Granted, I was definitely upset at what happened, and I apologize to those I could have offended. That being said, the rule is clear. The officers applied the rule. And I complied unequivocally."

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

"it's not in my nature"

Doesn't Blackburn find it odd that he would rather a bottle of tequila be emptied before his very eyes, rather than see an underling have it for free?

What a miserly old man!

Anonymous said...

Which former Liberal cabinet minister was refused to board an Air Canada flight for being drunk?

The very same guy who claimed to drive a Chevy, but was later driven away in his car which was not a Chevy and was not telling the truth.

John McCallum, that's who.

Typical Lieberal.

Fred from BC said...

Why do cabinet ministers have to go through security anyway?

crf said...

I agree, Fred. We should also make master stephen king, and blackburn can be a prince!