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 statement of claim filed Tuesday by the Canadian Association of People Who Use Drugs and four individual plaintiffs says drug dependence is well recognized as a medical condition, but criminalization means the toxic illicit market is the only source of most drugs.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says indoor gatherings are now restricted to only one other family or five guests, while outdoor gatherings are limited to 50 people.
84.6% (3,922,233) of eligible people 12 and older in B.C. have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine and 76.9% (3,565,148) received their second dose.
An employee working at the mall witnessed a man approach a woman from behind and grope her buttocks on August 27 around 5 p.m. The suspect then fled and mall security followed him while calling 911. Police were able to locate the suspect on a bus near Hastings and Abbott streets.
Right in time for the new school year, more than 8,600 students will be returning to safer and modernized classrooms at 16 new or improved schools throughout the province. The Government of B.C. has invested almost $353 million in these schools.
On Wednesday, at around 4:00 p.m., Burnaby RCMP located and arrested a 15-year-old boy who police believe to have committed these attacks. He was taken into custody as he departed a SkyTrain station.
