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.
A flood watch has been issued by the River Forecast Centre for the Bulkley River in northwestern B.C., and evacuation alerts are in effect for low lying properties on either side of the river at Smithers.
On his way to California, Trudeau and Defence Minister Anita Anand will also pay a visit to Colorado Springs, which is home to the jointly commanded continental defence system known as Norad.
Globally, there are 550 confirmed cases in 30 non-endemic countries where the virus has not usually been found. Tam warns that while we know a lot about how the monkeypox virus behaves in countries where it is endemic, we know little about how it may behave in populations that are both mostly unvaccinated against it and have no natural levels of immunity.
The Cullen Commission's website says its mandate includes making findings of fact on the extent, growth and methods of money laundering in B.C. and whether the acts or omissions of regulatory agencies and individuals "contributed to money laundering in the province or amount to corruption.''
While the officer attempted to detain the driver, the driver resisted causing the two to fall into an embankment. As the officer took the driver into custody he was struck in the face multiple times and was spat on.
Marco Mendicino met with community leaders in Regina on Thursday at the annual conference of big-city mayors. He said it is important that the federal government develop gun policies that reflect the varying experiences of Canadians.
