PMO won’t explain Trudeau’s fire hall visit
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 17/10/2017 (2376 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
OTTAWA — The Prime Minister’s Office refused to explain Wednesday how Justin Trudeau managed to visit Winnipeg’s busiest fire station without the city’s fire chief knowing about it.
In an arbitration hearing last Thursday, Fire Paramedic Chief John Lane revealed a union leader had organized Trudeau’s July 28 visit to the Osborne Street fire station without getting approval from Lane or any other senior manager within the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service.
Alex Forrest, president of the United Fire Fighters of Winnipeg, informed Lane about the visit through a text message after the fact. The UFFW website shows multiple photos of Trudeau making a salad, as well as photos of Trudeau’s daughter posing on a fire truck.
Forrest said he had organized the visit and that there were no fire calls during Trudeau’s visit.
Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr was at the fire hall for the visit, which lasted more than an hour. Carr said Wednesday he wasn’t familiar with how it was organized.
The visit was not on itineraries sent to the parliamentary press gallery and local media.
Trudeau’s press secretary wouldn’t detail how the visit was arranged and said the prime minister often makes private visits to community groups.
“The prime minister was honoured to meet and share a meal with firefighters at the Winnipeg fire hall this past July,” Eleanore Catenaro wrote. “This was an opportunity for the PM to recognize and personally thank these first responders for the brave and important work they do every day.”
Federal Conservatives and New Democrats declined to comment Wednesday, citing the lack of clarity from the PMO.
The RCMP wouldn’t specify Wednesday how Trudeau’s security detail assesses an event, such as screening attendees beforehand or completing a canine sweep of the venue.
“All factors such as threat assessments, the nature and location of the event and the current environment are routinely assessed,” spokeswoman Stéphanie Dumoulin wrote. “We adapt our security posture based on the prime minister’s visits and travels as required.”
dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca
