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Should the RCMP investigate the incident at 24 Sussex which involved an ‘intoxicated’ 18-year-old girl?

If the Yahoo Canada News' comment board — along with the Twittersphere — is any indication, there's a lot of outrage that RCMP won't be investigating the incident that took place at 24 Sussex over the long-weekend.

As explained by Yahoo's Matthew Coutts, an Ottawa ambulance rushed an 18 year old girl from the home of the prime minister, early Sunday morning, after the teenager reportedly suffered from alcohol poisoning while attending an event at the premises.

"The RCMP's role is to ensure the personal protection of the (prime minister) and his family. The RCMP is also responsible for security at their official residence," a spokesperson wrote in an email to Yahoo.

"This was a medical call and not a police matter. It did not involve any of our protectees."

[ Related: RCMP won’t investigate after 'intoxicated' 18-year-old girl reportedly rushed from PM's residence ]

We don't know all the details of what transpired on Saturday. We don't know if the Harper's were home, we don't know who was serving the alcohol and we don't even know if the teenager came to the residence drunk.

Regardless, Yahoo readers weren't satisfied with the RCMP response.

"18 year old underage drinker at the PM's house and no RCMP involvement??? Not only a medical issue but a criminal one as well."

...Crazy Canuck

"Again, no accountability for those with power. Any other tax paying fool would be investigated until they're blue in the face." ...Derek A

"In no way am I interested in going after Harper like a mad dog. I am not interested in any way in going bananas about 17 and 18 year olds drinking alcohol at a private residence.

"However, no investigation?? Excuse me? Not only underage but rushed to the hospital for what can be accurately termed as over-dosing on alcohol?

"A dead rat could have declared that worthy of an investigation at least."

...Aaron Bright

We reached out to a couple of Ontario lawyers to get their opinion on the matter.

Hamilton-based attorney Neil Jones says that he doesn't know the details of what happened at 24 Sussex but suggested we look at the Liquor Licence Act of Ontario.

"It is an offence in Ontario to supply alcohol to someone under 19 years but it is not an offence to allow someone under 19 to consume alcohol in your home," he told Yahoo Canada News in an email exchange.

"This can be contrasted with the comparable legislation in Manitoba, British Columbia and Nova Scotia where it is an offence to allow someone under the drinking age to consume alcohol in your home."

[ More Canadian Politics: Canadian middle-class isn’t better off despite NY Times report, Liberals retort ]

Another attorney, Garry J. Wise, said that, above and beyond the Act, there could be civil liability issues but that, in this case, it sounds like everything was done correctly.

"The responsibility and liability of social hosts — where bad things have happened — when alcohol is consumed in their premises can be considerably broader," he told Yahoo in a telephone interview.

"[Social hosts] certainly have liability if they fail to take steps to protect the intoxicated guest at their home.

"At the very least there is a duty...to take reasonable care to protect the individual who is in their home. And it sounds like — while the facts are still a little bit fuzzy in terms of what happened in the prime minister's residence — they did take...steps when they were confronted with the potential of a problem to ensure that individual obtained medical help."

(Photo courtesy of Reuters)

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