Newsletter » September 2010

Security Protocol During the G20 Summit

With an F-license, clean driving record, police check, and RCMP clearance, I joined the G20 cavalcade as the driver of an emergency 15-seater, ready to double as a protocol advisor if needed.

As I sat on the tarmac waiting for dignitaries to arrive, surrounded by RCMP, police, and soldiers, I considered myself a lucky employee. But let me start with my most embarrassing experience.

Any vehicle on the tarmac where dignitaries land needs to have the ignition key visible so the car can be taken away on a moment's notice. Well, guess who locked her key in the car?! I had 42 minutes until the next plane arrived.

I immediately reported the situation to security. They walkie-talkied the tow car, which arrived in seconds. The man was frantically trying to open my vehicle on both front sides and could not. Two RCMP officers, with four other ones watching, pried open the back window without doing damage to the car. But our hands were too big, and a five-year-old could not be summoned to the secured area, so they tried with an iron thingamajig. (We normal people would try it with a coat hanger, but there were none to be had.)

Two officers on one side of the car looked in and advised the other one: "Little bit further down... an inch to the left... no, no, too far." I couldn't help but ask, "Well now, how many RCMP officers does it take to..." and we all burst out laughing.

Fourteen minutes before the next plane was to arrive, my car door was opened. My boss was very nice about it: "Don't worry, it's a non-issue." He, too, had a blast watching all those officers. The consensus? It's not worth stealing a Chevrolet.

Anyway, there I stood, wiping off fingerprints until all I could hear was, "Touchdown in 30 seconds." Just before the announcement came, you could see two Canadian army helicopters circling a couple of times, checking for anything that should not be there. German Shepherds came around sniffing. Of course I had to ask why I didn't see a Rottweiler. The officers said that Rottweilers are also very good, but German Shepherds are easier to train.

There was also a fabulous fire truck ready for action. My grandsons would have given an arm and a leg to "inspect" it. I found out that the canon spews water, foam, and dry chemical, and it can empty its whole tank in two and a half minutes.

Back to the touchdown. All people were in their vehicles and ready for action. And there came a huge plane from the Colombian air force taxiing down the tarmac, with a tiny car sporting a "Follow Me" sign driving ahead. The car disappeared and three men with red wands took over to get the plane exactly into position. The tires of the plane were secured, the back stair was rolled in, the police stood guard, and the media rushed out and into position. Then the front stair was rolled in and four RCMP officers in scarlet marched up to the entrance to greet the dignitaries.

Here came my protocol nightmare. The officer with the Canadian flag stood on the right, and the officer who held the flag of the arriving plane's country stood on the left. Oh no, I thought. This is wrong. The Canadian flag needs to be on the left side. What shall I do? I can't run. If I drive, they might shoot me. After all, every single person had a gun.

Anyway, I don't know how this happened so I watched carefully and I figured it out by the third arrival. They left with the Canadian flag on the right side, step step step, then somehow the officer carrying the Canadian flag went sideways and by the time the dignitary arrived at the bottom of the stairs, the Canadian flag was magically on the left side, the way it should be.

The flags were held down until the first person could be seen (the most important person comes out first once the front door is opened), and at that moment, the flags were allowed to fly in the wind. It really was beautiful.

The moment the first person stepped out, the motorcade began. First came a few motorbikes, then RCMP, then cars, and sometimes a big bus if there were a lot of dignitaries, all interspersed with Ontario Provincial Police, Toronto Police, and Peel Police cars. Ambulances with several paramedics were also part of the motorcade. At the end, two motor bikes. And right in the middle, moi.

Returning in the wee hours of the morning, we went through security again. No bottle of water, no slice of homebaked anything allowed. I told them I baked it personally. Didn't matter. Even though it's 4 a.m., I said, my baked goods shall not be thrown out. So 24 eyes watched me eat my lemon-orange bake. They threw out my water. "Empty your pockets, please." Empty what? I have no pockets. I went through security-no flashing lights or alarms went off. Everybody smiled and wished me a nice day, and I them.

Dress code: It seemed to me that most dignitaries wore black with a white shirt and conservative tie. The United States and Mexico were notable exceptions. The African women had the prettiest outfits with head-dresses of the same fabric as their dresses. Too bad I could not see them close up.

I drove one of the Malawi dignitaries and his cargo: "Welcome to Canada. How long was your flight?" "Nineteen hours," was his reply. Looking at his well pressed black suit and perfect white shirt, I dared to ask: "You did not wear this for 19 hours?" No, he changed shortly before landing. He spoke excellent English with a bit of an accent. He loved that everything was so green here, and driving on the Lakeshore at this time of year, it was a pretty green.

The public was inconvenienced, of course, because every time a motorcade came through there was a lockdown, and coming back the lockdown took quite a while. When the Obama family came back in pouring rain, I was transporting a few drivers from one secure area to the other one about 3 km away. We were in the car for nearly an hour. Some of the drivers wanted to get out and walk, and I said nothing can move on a lockdown. I learned that the day before when somebody started to walk and was stopped in seconds.

Most security was for President Obama, whose cars and two-propeller helicopters arrived some time before he did in this huge cargo plane (according to the boys around me, the second biggest plane in the world.) The coolest car was the one that could jam all electrical communication around it.

I came home and slept for a few hours before I went back on the tarmac, and what did I see on TV while I was home but a police car burning. It saddened me so much that because of a few anarchists or whatever they called themselves, all the quiet protesters had to suffer. Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair should be congratulated for the fabulous job that his team did, ruined by a few.

Anyway, I know you want gossip so here comes one tidbit: The Saudi king and his wives arrived with three planes. The first plane carried nothing but the furniture for their two-night stay in Toronto. The wives spent a day shopping at the Gucci store. One wife wanted this, one wife wanted that, so he said, "Just pack up the whole store." Money might not make you happy, but it certainly gives you choices.

Until next time.



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