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 40-year-old woman is a kindergarten teacher and mother of an 18-month-old daughter. He says the homicide team is asking for patience as the investigation continues and that Onotera's family has also asked for privacy.
Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix said that there are 5,791 active cases of COVID-19 in the province. Of the active cases, 288 individuals are currently hospitalized, 137 of whom are in ICU.
Lawyer Steven Kelliher, representing Victoria landscaper Robert (Saul) Arbess, says the court must weigh the importance to the environment of protecting old-growth trees in the Fairy Creek area of Vancouver Island as opposed to the company's economic interests.
Fendrikov, described by police as an avid hiker with significant backcountry experience, was reported missing earlier this week when he did not show up for work.
A report from the association and the Conference Board of Canada shows modest recovery over the last year, but it still projects an overall 54 per cent decline since the pandemic hit last March.
Investigators believe the collision was caused by an impaired driver who went the wrong way down Richards Street, before striking a tree and crashing through a construction fence near Richards and Pacific around 11 a.m.
