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.
In his letter to Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough, NDP critic Daniel Blaikie says an appeal of the tribunal ruling would only prolong access to justice for new parents who lose their jobs.
A post on the City of Kamloops Facebook page says Jane Deelstra received a certificate from Kamloops RCMP Supt. Syd Lecky on Tuesday, recognizing her "great bravery and perseverance."
Downtown Ottawa Coun. Catherine McKenney has floated the idea of working with federal officials and the community to close Wellington Street, which runs directly along Parliament Hill, to all vehicles except public transit, pedestrians and cyclists.
Surrey RCMP say they responded to reports of a stabbing on the school grounds Tuesday afternoon. They say in a news release that teenagers were found with non-life-threatening injuries and taken to hospital.
Interim Conservative leader Candice Bergen announced the reversal on Tuesday, saying she was writing to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to have Tory MPs Michelle Rempel Garner and Rob Morrison appointed to the committee.
Canada's proposal, which includes a three per cent tax worth $3.4 billion in revenue over five years, would only take effect in 2024 if those efforts don't come to pass.
