Last Friday, Mark Carney had a meet and greet at a small bakery in Bradford, Ontario. Par for the course, there was no media availability. But there was something different at this event compared to other Carney shindigs we’ve attended. Namely, the presence of RCMP officers giving Carney personal protection.

However, the question arises: how in the world does Mark Carney qualify for such protection? We visited the RCMP’s website and looked into who qualifies for RCMP protective services. And here’s what we found:

The Close Protection Units protect individuals listed under Section 14(1)(e) of the RCMP Regulations, such as the Prime Minister of Canada, the Governor General, Justices judges of the Supreme Court of Canada, ministers of the Crown in right of Canada and Internationally Protected Persons (such as visiting foreign heads of state and heads of government).

Of course, Mark Carney is not the PM, the Governor General, a Supreme Court justice, a head of state and so on and so forth… so what gives?

Well, obviously we weren’t going to get answers from Team Carney, so I sent an inquiry RCMP’s media relations team, which included these questions:

1. How does Mr. Carney qualify for RCMP protection?
2. Who requested this protection?
3. What is the cost of providing such protective services?
4. Who is paying for this service? Is it Mr. Carney or the taxpayer?
5. Have there been any credible threats made against Mr. Carney?
6. Can any private citizen request such protective services from the RCMP?”

We eventually heard back from RCMP spokeswoman Robin Percival (she/her/elle). Here is her response:

“In addition to the Prime Minister and Governor General, the RCMP is mandated to protect Ministers of the Crown and those designated by the Minister of Public Safety to receive protection on a case-by-case basis. Protective measures are intelligence-led and based on the latest risk and threat assessments, ongoing security considerations and a number of other factors. For the safety of those we protect and of our members, as well as to ensure the integrity of operations, the RCMP does not disclose information related to protective measures, nor confirm individuals who may receive protection.”

And sure enough, according to the Public Order Emergency Commission, Ms. Percival (she/her/elle) is indeed correct when she states that individuals who are approved by the Minister of Public Safety can qualify for RCMP protection.

And obviously, Carney has been anointed as a special case. Oh, I know what you’re saying folks — isn’t Mark Carney an outsider? Isn’t he just some regular schlepper like all of us? Well, if you believe that whopper, we’ve got some beachfront property for sale in Saskatchewan...

But what is the reason for that RCMP protection? As far as we can tell, it seems that the need for armed Mounties it is not for protecting Carney’s wellbeing from actual bona fide threats to his health and safety. Rather, the bodyguards seem to be protecting him from… impolite questions.

Here’s the thing: do you know that when we hire bodyguards for protection when we venture into hostile realms to cover a story, those bodyguards — by law — cannot be weaponized? Forget about guns, they can’t even pack pepper spray.

But Carney, who no doubt is all-in when it comes to Justin Trudeau’s odious gun grab, well, I bet he’s a big fan of firearms when it comes to protecting the likes of… Mark Carney. Ah yes, yet again, one law for me, one law for thee…

In any event, if Carney has indeed been deemed worthy of such protection, at the very least would it be too much to ask the PM-in-waiting that that he pony-up the cash to cover these costs? He is a multimillionaire, after all.

But apparently picking up the tab is too much to ask. Amazing, isn’t it? I wonder if he’s already taking advantage of a six-figure grocery allowance, too? Because Mark Carney isn’t even Liberal leader yet, but he already feels entitled to his entitlements — at our expense, of course…