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.
Sen. Marc Gold also told senators that ministers are receiving hourly police updates about potential threats around the country to assess if the emergency law is still needed.
Robinson says ensuring communities have the resources they need to address climate change will form a large part of the New Democrat government's budget for the 2022-23 fiscal year.
Three of the four incidents targeted drivers from an unregulated Chinese ridesharing app. In each of the incidents a weapon was brandished, but none of the victims were injured.
The announcement from Interior Health comes as the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in B.C. continues to decline, at 733 on Friday from 744 the previous day.
There are 733 individuals hospitalized with COVID-19 and 113 are in intensive care. In the past 24 hours, 5 new deaths have been reported, for an overall total of 2,786.
Multiple 9-1-1 callers reported hearing gun shots near East Cordova and Carrall streets at around 8:45 p.m. February 16. One person was taken to hospital for serious injuries.
