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 National Advisory Committee on Immunization has expanded its recommended eligibility for booster shots of COVID-19 vaccines in response to reports of waning protection against the virus. NACI now strongly recommends boosters for those over 50 and said all adults over the age of 18 may receive one as well.
In a 7-0 ruling today, the top court says Canadian provisions at issue in the case did not apply to the company, Glenhuron Bank Ltd., meaning tax on its income was not payable in Canada.
The Bloc Québécois says the issue is "very concerning" and has persuaded the board of internal economy to look into whether poor audio quality is leading to less interpretation into French, and from French into English.
Mary Ng led a multipartisan Team Canada mission to Capitol Hill for several days of meetings with U.S. lawmakers to talk about a number of lingering irritants.
An Ontario infectious disease specialist says there is evidence testing all travellers before and after they arrive in Canada will identify most cases of COVID-19 coming into the country. Dr. Zain Chagla says playing "whack-a-mole" with travel bans affecting only some countries is based on political expediency, not science.
Ambassador Keung Ryong Chang says that expectation is based on Canada's historic support for the United Nations and peacekeeping, and not any specific knowledge about Ottawa's plans.
