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.
Annual inflation rates have run above the Bank of Canada's comfort zone since April, reaching 4.1 per cent in August. The central bank expects readings higher than its target of two-per-cent through the rest of the year.
British Columbia's provincial health officer has announced new restrictions for the northern health region in an attempt to stop the rapid spread of COVID-19 through those who are unvaccinated. Dr. Bonnie Henry announced the further restrictions will continue until Nov. 19.
Freeland says Canada needs to remain vigilant against the virus — and that includes making sure that people who cross the Canada-U.S. border are not infected. When fully vaccinated Canadian visitors are allowed to cross the land border into the U.S. next month, they won't be required to show negative test results.
Minister Mitzi Dean says the program is the first project of its kind in the province and, in collaboration with Telus, will distribute iPhones equipped with voice, five gigabytes of data, a phone case, screen protector and charger, all paid for by government.
The board's report says investigators confirmed with both CN and CP railways that there had been no rail grinding activities on the track and found no signs of hot bearings, burned brakes or other potential fire-creating causes in a train that went through the c
The collision, involving a motorcycle and a white Mazda 3, happened around 6:45 p.m. near Rupert Street and East 41st Avenue. The motorcycle rider, a Vancouver resident, died on scene despite efforts by paramedics to save his life.
