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 government now says there are still recipients who owe some or all of the $2,000, specifically those who were not entitled to the aid or didn't collect CERB for at least 20 weeks.
Three sources from industry and government say the message was delivered Wednesday as the other two companies competing for the $19-billion contract — U.S. defence giant Lockheed Martin and Swedish firm Saab — were told they met the government’s requirements.
The provincial government says the section of Highway 1 between Chilliwack and Abbotsford has been cleared to reopen and that will connect the Lower Mainland to Highway 3 as major road routes continue to be rebuilt from last week's floods.
The Nicola River, which runs along flood-damaged Highway 8, has changed course and left some farms underwater, Rice says. A subsequent mudslide wiped out the highway and destroyed or damaged dozens of properties in the area.
Police say a suspect is in custody after officers responded to reports of a shooter at an RCMP detachment in northern British Columbia Cpl. Madonna Saunderson says there are no reported injuries at this time.
On November 25, 2021, at approximately 12:00 p.m., Surrey RCMP responded the report of a shooting in the 2900-block of 160 Street. One man was shot in the driveway of a residence. The victim was taken to local hospital with what is believed to be non-life threatening injuries.
