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.
Procurement Minister Anita Anand announced the donation through the COVAX vaccine-sharing alliance today as many developing nations continue to struggle with a shortage of shots.
Meng Wanzhou, who is the Chinese telecom giant's CFO and daughter of the company's founder, is facing extradition to the United States on fraud charges that both she and the company deny.
The Conservation Officer Service says in a statement that the five-year-old was bitten on the leg Tuesday night. The statement says the boy had run ahead of his family while they were visiting Prospect Point.
An investigation determined the landing was not an emergency. Police said a passenger left the helicopter and went into a nearby Dairy Queen restaurant to buy an ice cream cake.
Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth says Emergency Management BC is working with communities to ensure they have funding for measures such as cooling centres with targeted support for vulnerable people and overtime wages for staff.
