Two armoured vehicles were sent on a $36,000-an-hour flight from Canada to India ahead of the prime minister鈥檚 visit this week, a decision the government said was made by the RCMP after assessing the security situation ahead of the trip.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has only travelled with his own vehicles on two other occasions: on trips to Haiti and Afghanistan.
Reporters spotted an SUV ferrying the prime minister around Agra, and then a Cadillac limousine in New Delhi, both with Ontario plates.
Sources told CTV鈥檚 Parliamentary Correspondent Roger Smith that the cars were shipped to India on a Globemaster cargo jet, which costs more than $36,000 an hour to fly.
The government did not say Monday why the car normally provided by the Indian government, a white Hindustan Motors Ambassador sedan, was deemed insufficient for the prime minister.
The prime minister鈥檚 spokesman, Andrew MacDougall, would only say that the RCMP is responsible for assessing the security situation ahead of such visits.
鈥淭he RCMP evaluates these things and they make the operational decisions,鈥� MacDougall told reporters travelling with the prime minister. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 have the costs in front of me. We won鈥檛 know that for a while.鈥�
The opposition decried the move in the House of Commons Monday, asking why the government鈥檚 austerity plans did not apply to the prime minister.
鈥淭his isn鈥檛 about security, so can we please get a straight answer to this simple question,鈥� NDP finance critic Peggy Nash said. "How much is it costing to send the prime minister's personal limousines to the Taj Mahal?"
Public Safety Minister Vic Toews responded that 鈥渢he RCMP in fact have made that decision鈥� after considering the safety of both the prime minister and the security detail travelling with him.
鈥淚 trust their judgment,鈥� Toews said.
The RCMP did not offer specific details about the decision Monday, saying only in a statement that for security reasons, details of the security plan would not be made public.
鈥淭he deployment of RCMP resources are dictated by operational requirements, including public and officer safety considerations, and a threat assessment of the events/environments," media relations officer Cpl. Lucy Shorey said.
Interim Liberal leader Bob Rae called the move unnecessary.
鈥淭he Indian government has lots of ways of providing security to its senior officials, I鈥檓 sure they would have done the same for us,鈥� Rae told reporters outside the House. 鈥淚t鈥檚 all kind of a bit of the presidential arrogance that I think we鈥檝e seen more and more of in Canada, but there鈥檚 really no need for it.鈥�
The U.S. president regularly travels abroad with a custom armoured vehicle, dubbed 鈥渢he Beast,鈥� or 鈥淐adillac One.鈥�
Ty Watts, of LTD & Associates, Inc., which has helped plan security measures for visits by heads of state to Canada, said he did not find the move excessive.
Watts said the Mounties would have looked at the prime minister鈥檚 agenda, as well as potential threats, and concluded that 鈥渨hat was available was not sufficient鈥� to provide security for the visit.
鈥淭hings have to be stepped up in order to provide that protection to make sure there鈥檚 no embarrassment brought on either ourselves or the foreign country that Canada鈥檚 visiting,鈥� Watts told CTV鈥檚 Power Play. 鈥淎nd to make sure that everything happens in a proper manner.鈥�
The prime minister is on a six-day trip, four-city trip to India, where he hopes to boost trade relations. On Monday, he and his wife, Laureen, visited the Taj Mahal.
With files from CTV鈥檚 Parliamentary Correspondent Roger Smith and The Canadian Press
