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.
Mental Health and Addictions Minister Sheila Malcolmson said concerns about the potential negative impact of the proposed legislation put forward in July 2020 led the province to consult further with First Nations, families, health-care experts and drug users.
A statement from B.C.'s Agriculture Ministry says the flock has the highly infectious H5N1 virus and has been placed under quarantine by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
Few details were released about what happened on the campus located on the Point Frederick peninsula, where Lake Ontario meets the St. Lawrence River, but the government department said the incident occurred around 2 a.m. Friday.
A statement from the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General says changes to the Disaster Financial Assistance program will increase benefits to those in need and pay some expenses right away, rather than waiting until all the bills have been submitted.
Moderna Canada President Patricia Gauthier said Friday the company sent an application to the Canadian vaccine regulator late Thursday for a vaccine to protect children between six months and five years old.
On Wednesday April 27th, just before 11:00 p.m., Surrey RCMP received a report that water had been thrown from a moving vehicle at three pedestrians from the Muslim community, who were walking in the area of 124 Street and 72A Avenue.
