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.
Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos says all air travellers entering Canada, except for those coming from the United States, will now need to be tested for COVID-19 upon arrival at the airport regardless of their vaccination status. The new measures come as public health officials around the world warn of the potentially dangerous new Omicron variant of COVID-19.
David Cohen has been sworn in as the new United States ambassador to Canada — the first full-time American envoy since 2019. Vice-president Kamala Harris presided over the process in her ceremonial offices earlier today.
Alberta is reporting its first case of the Omicron COVID-19 variant. The province's chief medical health officer, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, says the case was confirmed in a traveller returning from Nigeria and the Netherlands.
The Public Service Agency says in a statement 432 employees either are unvaccinated or declined to disclose their status before the Nov. 22 deadline for them to be either partially or fully vaccinated.
Highway 99 will be closing between Lillooet and Pemberton on Tuesday at 4pm. BC Hwy99 remains open to essential travel under 14,500kg until 4PM. Please be aware that closure may occur sooner.
Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole and the NDP's Jagmeet Singh delivered their official responses to last week's throne speech, which outlines the Liberal government's priorities for the current Parliament.
