Transport minister defends invasive search of senior

Source Montreal Gazette

Transportation Minister John Baird was unapologetic Sunday about the invasive search of an 85-year-old woman conducted by security personnel at the Ottawa Airport. Baird was asked by media Sunday about the treatment of the four-foot-10, 90-pound woman who was travelling from Ottawa to Toronto on Dec. 28. The woman was asked to remove her boots and then unzip her pants. A female inspection officer then poked at her abdomen. The woman's niece, Cynthia Sutcliffe, said that the former federal public servant is now "terrified" of airport security and that the search was "extreme." But Baird argued that even people who seem non-threatening cannot be disregarded by security.