It's a rule for the Prime Minister to be driven in a motorcade of at least five vehicles.
When current Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau was elected into power back in 2015, he was forced to give up the joy of driving to work. Due to security purposes, all prime ministers are not permitted to drive, and therefore have to be driven.
This has been the case for decades, and of course, also applies to royalty. More than 30 years ago, the Prime Minister’s Protection Detail, was established to ensure that they could provide 24/7 security to the PM and their family. This also includes organizing safe and secure transportation for the head of state.
If you have to be driven around it makes it a lot easier if you're sitting in something plush and comfortable, so let's take a look at what Canadian leaders and royalty ride in.
Lincoln Town Car
The governor-general, also known as the viceroy, is driven in a car that wears a standard Ontario license plate, however, the car does display the governor-general's flag.
Chevrolet Suburban
No list of official state vehicles would be complete without an armored truck in the Canada case, that comes in the form of a bulletproof armored Chevy Suburban.
The suburban is another presidential luxury staple, and with the bulletproof job, this one will definitely serve a purpose. this is the prime minister's usual ride when traveling in a motorcade.
It's the same kind of suburban that is used in SWAT raids so whoever is being transported can be rest assured that they will arrive in unrivaled safety and comfort.
Christine L’Hébreux, a member of Media Relations Services for the police had this to say: “There are several models of various years and they are all used on a rotational basis. Primarily, we make use of Chevrolet Suburbans, but we also have other options. The Prime Minister has no specific model that he uses more frequently than others”
It's unsure how many of these are in the Canadian fleet, however, during prime minister Trudeau's 2017 visit to Regina, there were at least 3 of these present.
Cadillac DTS Limousine
The Cadilac DTS Limo is perhaps one of the most famous VIP/Presidential vehicles in the world, especially when flying a flag. So it's no strange sight to see that the Canadian parliament has some available for diplomatic international use.
One report says that two of these were flown via charter to India at a jaw dropping price of $36k an hour. At the time of this event, Canada was in a declared state of austerity but it seems that then prime minister, Stephen Harper, felt these armored vehicles were necessary.
Government media relations officer, Lucy Shorey said that “The deployment of RCMP resources are dictated by operational requirements, including public and officer safety considerations, and a threat assessment of the events/environments"
Whatever was going on in India at the time seems to have certainly spooked the PM, at least enough to fly these two armored members of the fleet over to drive him around Dheli.
Chrysler 300
It's a rule for the Prime Minister to be driven in a motorcade of at least five vehicles. The motorcade's size is adjusted for certain events, as seen fit by the Canadian police. The PM's vehicle wears a standard Ontario registration plate. And the motorcade is usually led by one of these.
As well as leading the president's motorcades, the Chrysler 300 also holds other responsibilities such as carrying certain government ministers and officials are driven in Chrysler 300 sedans.
Sources: Regina Leader-Post, CVT News.
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