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Tom Mulcair Driving Incident: NDP Leader Sorry For Blowing Through RCMP Screening

Mulcair To Cop: 'Don't You Know Who I Am?'

NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair has apologized after failing to stop for an RCMP screening on Parliament Hill Thursday morning and then reportedly asking an officer: "Don’t you know who I am?"

CTV News reported Mulcair waved at officers as he drove through a security stop. Sources told CTV News he then blew through four to five stop signs on the Hill and, even with an RCMP vehicle in pursuit — with the lights on — did not pull over until he reached his Centre Block parking spot.

When confronted by an officer, Mulcair reportedly asked: "Don’t you know who I am?" CTV reports he also looked at the officer’s badge and suggested he would be in trouble.

According to The Globe and Mail, Mulcair said in a statement he was simply following his normal routine when driving through the gate but the officer did not recognize him.

"Once notified of the misunderstanding, [Mr. Mulcair] had a very respectful discussion with an officer. He then immediately went down to clear up the misunderstanding with the commanding officer," the NDP said.

A similar incident occurred in 2010 when an impatient Conservative MP Pierre Poilievrebypassed a security check on the Hill because he didn’t want to wait in line.

NDP MP Charlie Angus said it was an example of the government thinking "rules were for other people."

But this incident may prove particularly embarrassing for Mulcair, who has been fighting for attention since Justin Trudeau took over as Liberal leader in April.

The NDP recently released a set of television ads meant to grab the spotlight back from Trudeau and reintroduce Canadians to Mulcair by highlighting his leadership skills and family life.

But it appears at least one person on Parliament Hill hasn’t been watching.

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