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.
On July 28th, 2021, at about 8:20 p.m., a motorcyclist was struck by a GMC van, at the intersection of Westminster Avenue and Oxford Street, Port Coquitlam. The driver of the van immediately fled the scene. The motorcyclist involved in the collision was transported to hospital with injuries.
The commissioner questioned government projections that hydrogen could cut up to 45 megatonnes of carbon dioxide by 2030. The report says Natural Resources Canada's estimates are founded on doubtful cost estimates and depend on legislation that doesn’t exist yet, or at least isn’t consistent across the country.
A provision of the Criminal Code says government officials can’t accept gifts from someone who has dealings with the government unless they're given written consent by the head of their branch of government, which in this case would be the prime minister.
Canada Post is temporarily resuming service delivery to Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside more than a month after it stopped bringing mail to a two-block area over safety concerns. A statement from the Crown corporation says carriers will be delivering in the area Tuesday to Friday this week, allowing for a temporary return to service.
On April 25, at approximately 7:30 a.m., Surrey RCMP received the report that Surrey Fire Service located a deceased person after extinguishing a fire at a homeless camp in the 8800-block of 120 Street. Frontline officers attended and secured the scene for further investigation.
45 year old David Allen Lucas of Surrey has now been charged with assault with a weapon and three counts of assault. Lucas has been released from custody on a series of court-ordered conditions.
