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.
The Mounties say front-line officers and members of their mental health outreach team were called Friday to check on the well-being of a man who had threatened to harm himself with a weapon. They say the man was found at the home, reportedly in possession of a weapon, and police fired shots.
Kartik Vasudev who was only 21 was shot dead outside a skytrain station in Toronto. He was going to hop on the bus to head to his part-time job. The family was able to confirm the death on Friday afternoon but don't know the motive behind the shooting.
While the pandemic has taken the major focus of the healthcare arena and has been using most of its resources, the system was already running beyond 100% pre-pandemic. While normal businesses may have responded to pandemic-related challenges by simply hiring more staff, the health care system was already maxed out and could not respond by just adding more resources than it could safely handle.
The terms of the deal say the government must start with children under the age of 12 in 2022, expand to under 18-year-olds, seniors and people with disabilities in 2023, and fully implement the program by 2025.
COVAX raised another US$1.7 billion from countries like Canada at the event. The cash is intended to help Canada make good on its commitment to donate at least 200 million doses by the end of the year.
Surrey RCMP Frontline officers arrived on scene within minutes; however, the suspects had fled the area. The three suspects were able to get away with cash and liquor, but fortunately, no one was physically injured.
