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.
If Delta remains dominant, then the number of cases by that date could be as low as 2,900, if transmission is reduced by 15 per cent, or as high as 15,000, if transmission increases 15 per cent. If transmission remains the same, Canada could see 7,000 daily cases.
China's ambassador to Canada says Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor confessed to crimes before their release from his country's prisons this past September.
Winter storm, snowfall and wind warnings are in effect across coastal and southern British Columbia, including areas affected by flooding last month. Environment Canada says rain in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley would intensify Friday night before easing, with up to 60 millimetres expected along with strong winds.
As farmers clean up after a series of storms hit southern British Columbia, an industry official and operator say some will be forced to leave the industry as costs pile up. A series of "atmospheric rivers" in mid-November forced thousands from their homes and left at least four people dead.
The 1,782 suspected illicit drug toxicity deaths between January and October 2021 are the highest ever recorded in a calendar year, and the number of deaths in October equates to about 6.5 lives lost per day.
There are currently 2,915 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 216,185 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 220 individuals are currently in hospital and 73 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.
