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.
Frontline officers attended and located an injured 33-year-old man. The victim was transported to hospital and due to the serious nature of his injuries is not expected to survive.
Brian Porter called a tax hike that's widely expected to be included in Thursday's budget a “knee-jerk reaction that sends the wrong message to the global investment community."
Police say when the officer was speaking to the complainant, the man fled into the home and the officer was stabbed after he followed. The release says the officer was able to take the man, who was known to the complainant, into custody and drive himself and the suspect to hospital.
A Vancouver Police officer was patrolling near Main Street and Terminal Avenue when he attempted to stop a vehicle that was allegedly driven by a 29-year-old man with 10 Canada-wide warrants, including charges for firearms and drug trafficking.
Three-decade-high inflation rates may climb further. Unemployment is low, but labour shortages are widespread. Housing prices continue to rise at paces not seen in years.
Surrey RCMP were called to the building on 107a Ave. near King George Blvd. at about 8:20 p.m. Upon arrival, officers found a lower floor suite fully engulfed in flames, and began evacuating the building.
