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.
He will first fly to Kigali, Rwanda, Tuesday night to meet with the heads of the Commonwealth nations for the first time since 2018. Canada is planning to promote support for Ukraine and condemnation of Russia at the meetings. The trip also takes Trudeau to Germany for the G7 Summit and then on to Madrid for a NATO Summit.
Ken Fenton was convicted of crashing into Const. Sara Beckett's cruiser after running a red light in April 2016 near Victoria and was sentenced to five and a half years in prison.
If the Biden administration follows through on that plan, it would make Canada the only remaining G7 country not to have recently cut gas excise taxes or offered a subsidy to help lower pump prices.
To ensure this work is completed safely, northbound bridge lane closures, and a full closure of the Bridge Connector under the Royal Avenue overpass in New Westminster will be in place from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. The bridge will remain open to pedestrians, cyclists, and first responders in both directions at all times.
The victim was walking close to home around 11:30 p.m. Sunday when he was struck and killed by a vehicle that was allegedly speeding near West 4th Avenue and Arbutus Street. The driver fled, but a number of bystanders stayed behind, attempted to help the victim, and provided valuable information to police.
The sexual assaults in Burnaby included five female victims in the Metrotown area who reported being groped by a stranger. Following his offences in Burnaby, McCorriston travelled to Vancouver where he is alleged to have committed several other offences, including two sexual assaults and an indecent act.
