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.
There are currently 4,748 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 196,342 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 422 individuals are currently in hospital and 157 are in intensive care.
Mitzi Dean, B.C.'s minister of children and family development, says the province's current system is a patchwork of programs where many children and youth must wait for a diagnosis before receiving supports.
The Vancouver-based lumber, oriented strand board and paper manufacturer says it earned US$460 million or US$4.20 per diluted share for the three months ended Sept. 30.
Sometime between 9 p.m., on Sunday, Oct. 24, 2021, and 7 a.m., the next morning, two hateful phrases were painted on roads outside the temple with arrows pointing towards the building. The Gurdwara is located at 739 81 St S.W., and the two painted phrases were found along 81 Street and Old Banff Coach Road S.W.
The NDP leader said Wednesday that MPs should consider keeping a flexible format — allowing some MPs to participate virtually in parliamentary proceedings if they need to — after the COVID-19 pandemic ends.
It says the owner of the MV Zim Kingston provided information showing 2,000 containers were on board with 1,000 on deck when two caught fire and others fell overboard as the ship approached Vancouver last week.
