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 man approached the child on foot and propositioned them on a date. During the conversation, the suspect requested that they keep their meeting a secret. The suspect then departed on foot.
Canada is set to host Iran in a friendly match in Vancouver on June 5, but controversy about the game has swirled and Trudeau said last week that the event was ill advised.
Officers arrived and found the woman still "in possession" of the weapon. Police say shots were fired by officers during an interaction with the woman.
Trudeau made the comments following a tense appearance Monday at a memorial ceremony at the former residential school in Kamloops, where he faced angry chants from some.
Anand says the ammunition is "exactly" what Ukraine's government asked for from its allies. She says the rounds are the standard NATO artillery calibre and compatible with the artillery guns provided to Ukraine by Canada and other countries.
