The RCMP had stated the obvious: that it’s not the job of its officers to remove people from political rallies.

“The RCMP assisted the party organizers in restricting access to persons not registered for the private event,” Sgt. Greg Cox said in the statement.

“This was not in accordance with the RCMP’s mandate, and RCMP members have been reminded of our responsibilities.”

But readers should note that the Mounties are lying by implication.

Both Awish Aslam and her friend had in fact been pre-registered. By making the public statement that he did, Sgt. Cox is attempting to plant the notion in the public mind that the two were gatecrashers.

The political spin here is so exquisitely performed that one wonders whether the RCMP had some help in crafting it. Clearly the media has not been kind to the Cons over this incident, and some journos (hello, Kady!) have been sniffing around to see whether and to what degree the Mounties had been involved. Appearing to apologize for their excesses while effectively blaming their victims is the best damage control possible under the circumstances.

But damage control it is. One looks in vain here for any hint of a genuine apology to the youngsters they pushed around. And the latter are surely owed one.