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 United States and Europe are pushing a Global Methane Pledge asking other governments to commit to cutting total methane emissions 30 per cent by 2030.
The board says it will hold a news conference Thursday after the publication of its report with the results of the investigation. The fire raced through the town on June 30, days after a record-setting heat at the end of June.
The vast majority also agreed that Facebook amplifies hate speech, helps spread fake news, damages individuals' mental health and poses a risk to children and teenagers.
Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley said Wednesday that he believes Canadians will be cautious about driving south for day trips given that some parts of the U.S. have looser public health measures and higher COVID-19 case counts — a concern he said also emerged when Canada eased its border restrictions for Americans earlier this year.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is making the announcement today in a virtual appearance at the Malmö International Forum on Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism.
The purchase from Angelina Forest Products will be funded with cash on hand and is expected to close after receiving U.S. regulatory approvals. The Vancouver-based company will provide further details about the transaction during its third-quarter earnings call on Oct. 28.
