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 new sanctions came on the first stop of a four-country tour of Europe, as Trudeau meets allies from across the continent to discuss and co-ordinate the West’s response to Russia’s invasion.
Police say the girl refused the offer made while she was walking near the Steveston United Church late yesterday afternoon. They say she refused again when man then offered money as an enticement for a ride and immediately notified her mother after she arrived home.
24 year old Harmandeep Kaur died in a Kelowna hospital after being attacked early last Saturday morning. R-C-M-P say a suspect who was also working at the university was arrested under the Mental Health Act and could face a murder charge.
There are 484 individuals hospitalized with COVID-19 and 69 are in intensive care. In the past 24 hours, eight new deaths have been reported, for an overall total of 2,903.
Chief Joe Alphonse, Tribal Chair for the Tsilhqot’in National Government also received the honour — the highest award B-C can bestow on a resident. Others on the list included former B-C finance minister and chancellor of Simon Fraser University, Carole Taylor, and singer Michael Buble.
The trend isn't new, having last appeared between the summer of 2019 and spring of 2020. However, a few new recent cases have police concerned for seniors' safety.
