Ottawa, June 24 (IANS) Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has denied meddling in an investigation into the 2020 mass shooting, the worst the country's history.
Brenda Lucki, head of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), has been accused of pressuring local officers to help advance Trudeau's gun control plans, the BBC quoted the Halifax Examiner as saying, which was the first to report on the development.
According to the Halifax Examiner, the accusation stemmed from notes made by a local RCMP officer, released as part of a public investigation into the mass shooting on April 18-19, 2020, during which a gunman posing as a police officer killed 22 people in Nova Scotia.
The suspect died in a stand-off with police.
Addressing reporters on Thursday, Trudeau said that his government "did not put any undo influence or pressure" on police.
"It is extremely important to highlight that it is only the RCMP, it is only police that determine what and when to release information," the BBC quoted the Prime Minister as saying.
Denying the accusations, Commissioner Lucki said in a statement released on Tuesday that information sharing between the federal government and police is normal during a high-profile event such as a mass shooting.
The RCMP chief however acknowledged that she "should have been more sensitive" in her approach.
Canada's opposition Conservative Party has called for a debate in the House of Commons, and a parliamentary committee voted on Thursday to hold a hearing into the matter.
In the wake of the deadliest rampage in Canadian history, Prime Minister Trudeau in May 2020 announced an immediate ban on the sale, transportation, importation, or use of some 1,500 makes and models of "military-grade assault-style" weapons.
The city also says in a separate statement issued Thursday that it is withdrawing its appeal of court decisions that had refused to issue injunctions against homeless encampments.
A 35-year-old woman, who lives near the store, called 9-1-1 around 4:20 a.m. yesterday after she was woken up by the sounds of glass smashing and a security alarm going off near Arbutus Street and West 4th Avenue.
Police were able to locate the man, who was suffering from non-life-threatening injuries at an alternate location in Newton. The 19-year old victim was transported to hospital.
The European Medicines Agency said in a statement that it was advising the use of the new drug, sold as Evusheld, in people age 12 and over before they were exposed to COVID-19, to prevent future infections.
The Liberals promised the NDP they would start to phase in a dental-care program this year as part of a confidence and supply agreement to keep the minority government in power until 2025.
Peter Guthrie and Jason Stephan say the party’s late changes were designed to ensure Kenney wins a vote he was destined to lose. Guthrie, the member for Airdrie-Cochrane, says the decision “reeks of desperation” and that it’s time to call an immediate leadership race and find someone else to take the helm.
