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.
This year almost 100 percent of the cases are of the Delta variant, so we haven’t been given a clear rationale as to why Kindergarten to Grade 3 students were excluded this year.
The investigation led to the seizure of an unregistered restricted handgun, which is also known as a ghost gun, with ammunition. The seizure is significant because the untraceable nature of the gun components, which do not have serial numbers.
Bus Driver, Charanjit Parhar, was pinned between 2 buses. The incident is being further investigated. Translink took to Twitter to share the news of the bus driver passing away and are mourning his demise by a moment of silence today.
The cyclist said he was riding Eastbound on Granville Ave in the bicycle lane when a silver Honda SUV allegedly clipped the back of his bicycle causing him to lose control.
Kevin Falcon, a former minister of finance, health and transportation in the Liberal governments of premiers Gordon Campbell and Christy Clark, faced repeated questions Tuesday about his reasons for seeking the leadership after leaving politics in 2012.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry has resisted calls by parents and teachers to require all students to wear the face coverings, saying ventilation and limitations to intermingling between classes in different grades are also important factors.
