RCMP Watch

CTV.ca

A “troubled individual” breached the security perimeter around Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Quebec country house on Sunday by smashing a car through a gate.

“The protective unit of the RCMP intercepted the vehicle right away and proceeded with the arrest of the individual,” said Cpl. Jean Hainey.

Harper was at the residence, known as Harrington Lake, when the 2:30 a.m. incident occurred.

A source close to Harper said he wasn’t initially aware of the incident since the “entrance is so far away from the house.”

“There was no threat to the prime minister whatsoever,” the source told The Canadian Press.

The suspect was transferred over to local police but had not been charged as late as Sunday afternoon, said Hainey.

Various media reports claim the suspect was a woman driving a white Chevrolet who said she simply wanted to meet Harper. However, the RCMP has not confirmed this.

The Prime Minister’s Office played down the incident in an email Sunday to CP.

“The incident was minor in nature,” wrote Harper’s director of communications, Sandra Buckler.

“There was minor damage to the gate — it is now being repaired — and the troubled individual was dealt with immediately by the RCMP and is now in custody.”

The residence has served as a country retreat for Canada’s prime minister since 1959. It was built in 1925 in Gatineau Park, a short drive from Ottawa.

In November 1995, a schizophrenic man managed to enter the prime minister’s official residence at 24 Sussex Drive in Ottawa by scaling the fence.

The man gained access to the house and made it as far as the bedroom where then-prime minister Jean Chretien and his wife, Aline, were sleeping.

The intruder came face to face with Aline. Armed with an Inuit sculpture, she managed to slam and lock the door before calling security.

At the time, critics questioned the quality of RCMP security measures in place to protect the prime minister.

On Sunday, the PMO praised the RCMP’s response to the recent incident.

“The security system at Harrington Lake is working well and we appreciate the good work by the RCMP,” said Buckler.