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 move builds on Canada's mandate to include graphic photo warnings on tobacco products' packaging — a groundbreaking policy that started an international trend when it was introduced two decades ago
Most of the cases are currently among men who said they had had sexual contact with other men, though the virus can spread to anyone who has had close physical contact with an infected person or "contaminated objects" such as blankets, she said.
About 800 delegates are registered to attend and launch a process that could result in a name change. Kevin Falcon, who won the leadership race earlier this year, promised to renew and rebuild the party in consultation with members.
The increase came as the unemployment rate fell to 5.1 per cent, the lowest rate since at least 1976 which is as far back as comparable data goes. The unemployment rate was 5.2 per cent in April.
The agreement also includes an additional 50,000 agricultural workers this year from Mexico, Guatemala and the Caribbean. The federal government is also spending $26.9 million in 2022-23 on measures to address the root causes of irregular migration.
Vancouver police confirm a 46-year-old Surrey, B.C., man has not been seen since renting a motorboat from Granville Island on Wednesday. Police say he was planning to cross English Bay heading toward Bowen Island.
