OTTAWA, Dec 18 (Reuters) - The next time you see Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien flash by in his official car, spare him a little sympathy. He isn't at all comfortable.
Chretien complained on Wednesday that once his beefy Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) bodyguards had climbed aboard, there wasn't much room left in the back of his official auto for him or his wife, Aline.
"I'm not driving a huge Cadillac. You should sit in the back of the so-called limousine of the prime minister," he told the CPAC cable-TV channel.
"There are always big RCMPs in the front so, with the two of us, we are very squeezed, because we don't drive in a huge car. We just drive in an Oldsmobile or a Ford that most of the people drive."
Pressed as to why he wasn't traveling in an even smaller car to help cut the emission of greenhouse gases, Chretien responded by asking CPAC interviewer Peter Van Dusen what kind of car he drove.
"I don't drive a particularly fuel-efficient one but I, like you, might change," an embarrassed Van Dusen replied.
"Good, good. You want me to change -- change first," said Chretien.