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.
Police said the suspect was seen waving a gun in the video, making anti-LGBTQ comments, and claiming to live in Palm Beach County, where he said he was going to commit the mass shooting that day.
On the way, he and Defence Minister Anita Anand are stopping in Colorado Springs, Colo., for meetings with commanders and officials from Norad, the joint-command continental defence system slated for upgrade.
Interim Tory leader Candice Bergen accused Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of being “vindictive” in his staunch opposition to her party’s proposals on inflation, saying that by trying to punish her party politically, he is in fact punishing Canadians.
The Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine ordered the evacuation of the Terrace-area communities of Old Remo, New Remo and Usk on Sunday. It also declared a local state of emergency as the Skeena River flooded low-lying areas, cutting access to the villages.
The BC Coroners Service report comes a day after the provincial government announced a two-stage heat response system to help people and communities stay safe as temperatures rise and the threat of heat-related emergencies increase.
On June 1, 2022, 20-year-old Benjamin Sultan Sabetnia of Coquitlam, BC was charged with aggravated assault, using a firearm in the commission of an offence, robbery with a firearm and discharging firearm with intent. He has been arrested and remains in custody awaiting his next court appearance.
