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.
Richmond RCMP Mobile Enforcement Team subsequently arrested and held the man in-custody for allegedly breaching his order of prohibition in relation to children. Edward Gary Bolderson has been charged with 1 count of fail to comply with prohibitions regarding children, contrary to Section 161(4) of the Criminal Code of Canada.
A single vehicle collision into a tree in the 16000-block of 104th Avenue claims lives of 3 teenagers. The deceased have been identified Caleb Reimer, Ronin Sharma, and Parker Magnuson between the ages of 16-17 years old.
There are 6,345 active cases of COVID-19 in the province and 150,657 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 129 individuals are in hospital and 59 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.
Henry announced restrictions currently in place in the central Okanagan, such as mandatory mask wearing and reduced limits on indoor and outdoor events, will be expanded across the region in an effort to limit the rise in COVID-19 cases.
He said the government is not requiring passports or COVID-19 negative tests from the Afghan passengers and is deferring biometric screening to a third country, where it's safe for evacuees and government officials to be screened.
