OTTAWA–Junior cabinet minister Helena Guergis has issued an apology for her rude behaviour at the Charlottetown airport, where she allegedly threw a tantrum and screamed obscenities at staff who asked her to take her boots off for security screening.

"On Feb. 19, I was rushing to catch a flight at the Charlottetown airport and spoke emotionally to some staff members," Guergis, the minister of state for the status of women, said in an unusually abject mea culpa. "Regardless of my workload and personal circumstances, it was not appropriate and I apologize to airport and Air Canada staff."

It is just the latest setback for Guergis and her husband, former Conservative Edmonton MP Rahim Jaffer, once thought to be one of the capital's golden couples. Jaffer faces a March 9 court date in which he is expected to enter a plea bargain on drunk driving and cocaine possession charges.

Liberal MP Wayne Easter circulated an anonymous but carefully detailed account of the incident believed to have been written by an airport employee who witnessed the events of last Friday.

Martin Paquet, a spokesman for Guergis, was read the account of the airport meltdown circulated by Easter. He did not deny the account, but would not comment on the specifics of the incident. He said the apology issued by Guergis speaks for itself.

According to the account, Guergis and aide Emily Goucher arrived a few minutes before the scheduled takeoff of an Air Canada flight from Charlottetown to Montreal.

In the pre-boarding area, Guergis refused to remove her boots despite being informed that they might set off the security alarm in the metal detector, according to the letter received by Easter. When the alarm sounded, she was asked to sit down and remove her footwear.

Guergis "slammed her boots into the bin" provided by security personnel and then, according to the account, said to one of the airport staff: "Happy f---ing birthday to me. I guess I'm stuck on this hellhole."

Guergis, the MP for Simcoe-Grey, turned 41 on Feb. 19.

After her boots cleared the X-ray conveyor, Guergis, according to the account, yelled at Goucher: "Get those for me. I'm not walking around here in sock feet."

Guergis then allegedly tried to force open the locked door that separates the pre-board screening room from the area where the aircraft was waiting.

When a few moments later the minister was reminded that most passengers are asked to arrive at the airport two hours before boarding time, Guergis shouted back, according to the account: "I don't need to be lectured about flight time by you. I've been down here working my ass off for you people."

Guergis and her aide were ultimately allowed to board the flight.

A spokesperson for Air Canada Jazz said the airline would not comment on an anonymous letter.

"For privacy reasons, (we) will not provide information on a situation that occurred with one of our passengers," Manon Stuart said in an email. "Our employees have dealt with the situation directly with the passenger. Our customer service agents are well-trained to manage various types of circumstances."

Easter, who represents Malpeque in Prince Edward Island, said he has spoken to people who work at the airport and has absolutely no doubt that the account is accurate. Word of the incident spread quickly in Charlottetown, he said.

Employees "were appalled at this performance," he said of his talks with airport staff. "They're good security, but they're typical islanders – they're friendly, jolly. To be berated the way they were was just an absolute shock, especially coming from somebody that had come in to the airport as a VIP."

A spokesperson for Prime Minister Stephen Harper said of her apology: "That's the end of the matter as far as we are concerned."

Jaffer, 37 was arrested and charged on Sept. 14, 2009, at a village near Orangeville, Ont., after being stopped for speeding.

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Jaffer, who married Guergis in 2008, represented the riding of Edmonton-Strathcona from 1997 until he was defeated in the 2008 election. He was staying in Angus, Ont., in Guergis' riding when his vehicle was pulled over by the OPP.

In her apology issued Thursday, Guergis said: "It was certainly not my intention to create any additional stress for airport or Air Canada employees who already have a very difficult job.

"My father was born in Summerside (P.E.I.) and many of my relatives still live on the island, which I love and visit almost every year. To me, it is a very special place that demonstrates the best Canada has to offer. I wish to express my appreciation to all the hard-working people who make it so welcoming."

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