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.
“Investigators believe the woman may have been followed out of the coffee shop and confronted by the suspect, who then stabbed her with the dirty needle,” adds Sergeant Addison. “Because we don’t know what was in the needle and whether there will be any long-term health impacts, the victim was taken to hospital for treatment.”
Just before 1:30 a.m. on November 7, a cell guard noted the woman had fallen from her bunk onto the floor. Upon further assessment the woman was found to be unresponsive and not breathing. An officer and the cell nurse began life saving efforts, until these efforts were assumed by BC Emergency Health Services and the Surrey Fire Department.
There are 4,282 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 202,898 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 407 individuals are in hospital and 121 are in intensive care.
Though shoplifting remains vastly under-reported, Vancouver Police have seen a surge in people using violence while stealing from stores. Cases involving weapons – things like knives, needles and bear spray – have shot up 550 per cent since 2019. Commercial robberies have gone up 126 per cent during that same time.
Statistics Canada says more than 19,000 Canadians lost their lives during COVID-19 than would have been expected had the pandemic never happened. The report highlights the deadly toll COVID-19 has taken directly and indirectly on Canadian lives.
O'Toole remains the lone leader in Parliament who refuses to disclose how many of his 118-member caucus are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Immunization will be a requirement for MPs wishing to take their seat in the House of Commons when it resumes Nov. 22.
