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.
There are 612 individuals hospitalized with COVID-19 and 102 are in intensive care. In the past 24 hours, nine new deaths have been reported, for an overall total of 2,840.
British Columbia's environment minister says the province can't afford to wait any longer to confront climate change after last year's devastating fires, floods, slides and heat waves. George Heyman says last year delivered the message that the time to address climate change is now.
Demonstrations have been planned in Montreal, Toronto, Edmonton and Vancouver today to denounce the Russian military strike against Ukraine, and the Canada-Ukraine Foundation has launched a fundraiser for humanitarian aid.
The new sanctions will target 58 people and entities connected to Russia, including members of that country's elite and their families, the paramilitary organization known as the Wagner Group and major Russian banks.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Wednesday the extraordinary, time-limited powers would be pulled back now that the immediate crisis is over. They were brought in last week to respond to protests and blockades against COVID-19 restrictions and the Liberal government.
One of the occupants of the SUV tried pulling her inside the vehicle and stealing her purse. The suspect or suspects then fled in this vehicle after their attempt was unsuccessful.
