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 office Trudeau runs as MP for Papineau in Montreal — not prime minister — submitted the charge on his office expenses in March. It submitted another eight-cent “copy charge” last September.
About 30 per cent of active cases are located in the Fraser Health region, followed by nearly 26 per cent in Interior Health, 18 per cent in Vancouver Coastal Health, close to 15 per cent in the North and 11 per cent in Island Health. There are 23 active outbreaks in health-care settings, including three hospitals.
The suspect, a 64-year old man from Richmond, was located and arrested a short time later. Investigators are now looking for dash-cam video that may have recorded the suspect’s vehicle in various locations as the events transpired.
One of the suspect had gone so far as to sew a pocket into their undies, specifically for hiding illicit drugs. In total officers seized 11 grams of methamphetamine, 31 grams of cocaine, 7.81 grams of fentanyl and over $8000 in cash. All four of the vehicles were seized as offence related property.
The board says new homes have continued to be built during the pandemic, with a specific focus on projects for the rental market. It says Metro Vancouver's job market continues to recover, but the recovery will be slower in the future.
The 35-year-old was found dead in a vehicle in the underground parkade of the Fairmont Pacific Rim hotel yesterday afternoon. Officers and paramedics attended and he was pronounced dead on scene.
