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.
NACI also strongly recommends a second booster for people between 70 and 79 years of age. In general, the group says a second booster dose should be given 6 months after the patients got their first booster shots factoring in a recent COVID-19 infection.
The bill, designed to support Canada's independent media, is modelled on an Australian law making tech companies such as Google and Meta pay for news content on their platforms.
Health Minister Adrian Dix says the possibility of a second booster dose is on the agenda for today's COVID-19 briefing with provincial health officer Dr. Bonne Henry.
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Stephanie Cadieux, who represents Surrey South, is the first woman with a disability to serve in the legislature and in cabinet, where she held a number of portfolios including children and family development, social development and labour.
Russia is facing a renewed level of global outrage after reports of atrocities against Ukrainian civilians emerged over the weekend as Russian troops withdrew from towns they occupied around Kyiv.
