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.
Investigators say in one recent case, a single victim lost $550,000 when he was duped into making a series of investments in foreign exchange companies that turned out to be fake.
Chrystia Freeland told the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade on Wednesday that some of the funding will be used to work with provinces, territories and local governments to determine what’s stopping more homes from being built and create the right incentives.
Following a trial in January 2022, Robert Tomljenovic was found not guilty of second degree murder, but guilty of manslaughter and robbery with a firearm. On April 12, 2022, Robert Tomljenovic was handed a sentence of 12 years less time served.
WorkSafeBC’s investigation determined that Mr. Kochher had failed to ensure the health and safety of between 13 and 15 workers, by knowingly exposing them to asbestos-containing material.
The 1.5 million expired doses amount to less than two per cent of the 118 million doses delivered to Canada since December 2020. There are more than 18 million doses in Canada's national stockpile at the moment, the vast majority of which will expire in the next four mont
Trudeau told reporters today in the Montreal area that the recently tabled budget includes measures to help with the high cost of housing, including a tax-free savings account buyers can use to purchase a first home starting next year.
