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 5,594 active cases of COVID-19 in the province and 164,470 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 262 individuals are in hospital and 130 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.
Adrian Dix says the province is reviewing "all options" when it comes to limiting protests outside of hospitals. Dix says ignoring scientific facts, evidence and data and refusing the vaccine only hurts the wider population.
The resident fortunately knew their bike well, and was able to identify several specific characteristics from the bike, that they passed along to police.
Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau revealed on Aug. 31 that around 1,250 Canadian citizens, permanent residents and family members were stranded in Afghanistan following the withdrawal of all U.S. military forces from the country.
Rachna Singh, the parliamentary secretary for anti-racism initiatives, says the public feedback will help better identify systemic racism in existing government programs. B.C. residents can share their thoughts through an online government portal until Nov. 30.
Ninety-eight firefighters and three support staff arrived from Mexico on July 24 as hundreds of wildfires flared and drought conditions gripped much of the southern half of the province.
