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 board says August home sales in the region totalled 3,152, a 3.4 per cent increase from 3,047 last August, but a 5.2 per cent decrease from 3,326 in July. The board says sales last month were about 20 per cent higher than the 10-year August sales average.
Starting Sept. 13, people will have to show proof of having had a single dose of a vaccine to enter gyms, fitness centres and casinos. After Oct. 24, those aged 12 and older will need to be fully vaccinated at least seven days earlier. The government says the B.C. Vaccine Card will be downloaded onto mobile phones.
B.C. added 785 new COVID-19 cases for Wednesday. There have now been 166,853 cases of COVID-19 in B.C. since the pandemic began, as well as 1,818 related deaths.
Investigators have engaged the BC Hate Crime Unit and INSET (Integrated National Security Enforcement Team) to collaborate and are endeavouring to identify the author of the note and following all investigative avenues in this investigation.
On Monday, August 30, at approximately 1:40 p.m., an unknown man approached a 25-year-old woman and wrestled her to the ground in the area of Edmonds Street and Canada Way. It’s believed the victim may have been followed for a short distance.
Conservation officers are patrolling the park and the service says it's working with provincial wildlife biologists to determine how to manage the animals.
