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 still some populations of sea stars in B.C. waters, but it's unclear if they'll survive, said Sara Hamilton, who is a PhD student at Oregon State University and lead author of the study.
Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau will be campaigning in British Columbia today while the heads of the New Democrats and Conservative will be in Ontario. Trudeau is expected to make an announcement in Surrey. B.C., before meeting with a local family to discuss housing.
The Regional District of Central Okanagan says the evacuation order for more than 1,300 properties and alert for about 850 of them remains unchanged as the White Rock Lake Creek wildfire continues to burn.
Trudeau's plan, announced at a Tuesday campaign stop in Hamilton, Ont., is built around helping renters become homeowners through $1 billion in loans and grants, but also involves a two-year moratorium on foreign buyers, banning blind bidding and a Bill of Rights creating a legal right to a home inspection.
There are currently 5,357 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 153,967 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 138 individuals are currently in hospital and 78 are in intensive care.
