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.
On October 10, 2021 just before midnight, Surrey RCMP received a report that a woman was grabbed from behind by an unknown male who attempted to drag her away as she walked on a path in the green-space connecting Edinburgh Drive and 132 Street.
The victim, 30, was crossing East 41st Avenue at Fraser Street at 6:25 a.m. this morning when he was struck by a vehicle that was travelling west, causing serious head injuries. The driver fled west without stopping.
Most respondents (89 per cent) said they were vaccinated. Of those with children 12 and older who are eligible to get a dose, 81 per cent said their kids were also vaccinated.
The poll, conducted by Leger for the University of Manitoba and Metropolis North America, found just 29 per cent of U.S. respondents were fearful about the Canada-U.S. border.
Nearly 89 per cent of eligible residents had received at least one dose of vaccine, while just over 82 per cent were fully vaccinated. Those under age 12 are not eligible to get vaccinated against COVID-19 in Canada, but the province confirmed over the weekend that it had opened up registration for younger children through the Get Vaccinated portal.
88.6% (4,107,666) of eligible people 12+ in BC have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine. 89.1% (3,853,731) received their second dose. 7,937,214 doses of vaccine have been administered.
