Liberals want probe of Guergis tantrum
This story contains offensive language
Last Updated: Monday, March 1, 2010 11:01 PM ET
CBC News
Liberals are asking the federal government for a formal investigation and calling on Helena Guergis, minister of state for the status of women, to resign for her behaviour at Charlottetown Airport. (Canadian Press)
The Liberal party wants the federal government to launch a formal investigation into the tantrum that Conservative MP Helena Guergis threw at the Charlottetown Airport last month.
The party said Monday in a release it has also filed an Access to Information request for copies of the security videotape of the Feb. 19 episode involving the minister of state for the status of women.
It has also asked for copies of any incident reports filed by the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority, or any other airport authority, about the incident.
The Liberal critic for the Status of Women, Anita Neville, who called for Guergis to resign last week, said the minister could have violated Canadian aviation regulations with her argumentative and belligerent behaviour that could have put passenger safety at risk.
"This is a very serious matter," Neville said in the release. "I am calling on [Transport] Minister [John] Baird to look into these potential violations, and to make sure that the tapes and other information we have requested will not be destroyed, edited or otherwise tampered with …."
The calls for an investigation and for the minister to step down come after an anonymous letter was sent to Liberal MP Wayne Easter. The letter stated that Guergis and an aide arrived late at Charlottetown Airport for their flight to Montreal on Feb. 19 and became verbally abusive to staff.
During pre-boarding screening, the letter said, the Ontario MP refused to remove her shoes, which set off the alarm as she walked through the metal detector.
When Guergis was asked again to take off her shoes, she allegedly "slammed her boots into the bin provided," and said, 'Happy f--king birthday to me. I guess I'm stuck in this hellhole.'"
Guergis turned 41 on Feb. 19.
The letter said, "as the footwear cleared the X-ray conveyor [Guergis] then allegedly shouted at her aide to 'Get those for me. I'm not walking around here in sock feet.'"
When an Air Canada employee reminded her that passengers are expected to be at the airport two hours before departure, Guergis allegedly shouted, "I don't need to be lectured about flight time by you. I've been down here working my ass off for you people."
Last Thursday, Guergis issued a statement, apologizing for speaking "emotionally" to some staff members at the airport, and admitted her behaviour was "not appropriate."
The Prime Minister's Office said last week it was satisfied with her apology.Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/politics/story/2010/03/01/liberal-guergis.html#ixzz0gzXt7TGo
