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 police chief said he knows people in Ottawa want to see more enforcement from police officers as protesters continue to cause gridlock in the downtown core near Parliament Hill and put a significant burden on residents and business, many of which have had to shut their doors.
Erin O'Toole has been voted out as leader of the Conservative Party of Canada. A look at some potential contenders to replace him. Rona Ambrose- a cabinet minister in the Conservative government of former prime minister Stephen Harper who became interim leader after he lost the 2015 election.
About one-third of the Conservative MPs in caucus triggered a leadership review after weeks of anger and disappointment over his performance since last year's election loss.
Mission RCMP Frontline members responded to a report of found human remains in the Cascade Falls Regional Park. The circumstances surrounding the remains were deemed suspicious and the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) was called in to investigate.
February 1st was a busy day for the Integrated Municipal Provincial Auto Crime Team, making 2 separate arrests and recovering 3 stolen vehicles. At about 10:30 am, IMPACT members spotted a vehicle with Alberta licence plates, driving in Surrey, B.C.
Mounties were prepared to make arrests Tuesday at the Coutts crossing but backed off when there were safety concerns. Cpl. Curtis Peters says some vehicles left peacefully but others, including tractors, sped through police roadblocks to join the blockade.
