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.
82.2% (3,809,806) of eligible people 12 and older in B.C. have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine and 71.1% (3,296,603) have received their second dose.
Maria Dewolfe-Broad was last seen at Guildford Mall on July 30, 2021. Family and police are concerned for her wellbeing due to the length of time she has been out of contact.
The fire has moved eastward since then, prompting evacuation orders and alerts by four regional districts, two First Nations and the City of Vernon, while orders or alerts for other communities, including Falkland, Armstrong, Chase and the Spallumcheen township, have since been lifted.
The document, expected to be ready by the fall, will be digital, with an option for those who can't or don't want a digital certificate. Mendicino says it will include data on the type of vaccines received, the dates, and the location.
Since July 1 of this year, there have been eight incidents related to the Granville Entertainment District. The eight incidents range from unwanted touching (groping) to forced sexual intercourse. In July alone, there have been 16 reported stranger sexual assaults throughout Vancouver, compared to 10 in July of 2020 and 7 in July of 2019.
