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 5,937 active cases of COVID-19 in the province and 182,045 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 345 individuals are in hospital and 144 are in intensive care.
Several unions have raised concerns about how the government intends to verify employee vaccine status, and Aubry said he also wants to know how that confidential health information will be stored.
Statistics Canada data show Canadians bought 38.6 billion litres of gas in 2020, 14 per cent less than the year before and less than in any other year since 2001.
Yet survivors and experts of military sexual misconduct are expressing outrage over Maj.-Gen. Peter Dawe’s new role, saying it raises even more questions about the Armed Forces’ ability and commitment to addressing the problem.
Human Rights Watch says in its report that while those two groups are at a greater risk of heat stress, many were left to cope with the dangers of record-high temperatures on their own.
The BC Public Service Agency said Tuesday the requirement is part of an effort to increase vaccination rates throughout the province. It has set Nov. 22 as a deadline for workers in core government services or ministries to show proof of vaccination using the BC Vaccine card.
