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.
Dr. Theresa Tam told a news conference that many cases have been linked to sexual contact with other men, but the virus can spread to anyone who has had close physical contact with an infected person.
Eight of nine Supreme Court of Canada justices agree Rite-Way Metals Ltd., and Harvard Industries Ltd, both based in Langley, B.C., can't undo the tax decisions they made in 2008 to create separate family trusts to protect corporate assets.
Canadian Heritage and police held a technical briefing Friday on their plans for July 1. Media were only allowed to participate on the condition that officials not be named.
Officers interacted with more than 700 people across North America throughout the investigation and obtained 75 victim and witness statements, the Mounties said in a statement, adding more than 80 investigators were involved.
Canada has yet to authorize a vaccine for kids under five, and Moderna's shot is the only one that's been submitted for regulatory review. A Pfizer Canada spokeswoman says in an email that the company is making progress on its submission, but couldn't provide a timeline on when it would be filed.
Kelowna RCMP say 31-year-old Chelsea Cardno was last seen on Tuesday as she left with her German shepherd dog, J.J., for a walk through the Mission Greenway, bordering Mission Creek. Cardno's vehicle was found in that area later that day and a full scale search began.
