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 group of Ukrainian parliamentarians are in Ottawa this week to meet Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other federal government officials in a desperate bid to secure more support.
Health Minister Adrian Dix says the province is preparing to provide an update this Tuesday on potentially making a fourth COVID-19 dose available to vulnerable people in British Columbia. The minister says discussions are underway about providing a second booster shot to clinically vulnerable people such as those in long-term care.
There are 281 individuals hospitalized with COVID-19 and 42 are in intensive care. In the past 24 hours, two new deaths (Fraser Health) have been reported, for an overall total of 2,998.
On March 10, 2022, just after 6 p.m., a man was chased into the Burquitlam SkyTrain Station by two suspects, one of whom was seen carrying a large machete. The man attempted to use a pylon to protect himself, while one of the suspects allegedly swung the machete in his direction several times. The machete eventually made contact with the side of the victim’s head.
Harjit Sajjan offered that view as a half dozen extra RCMP investigators head to The Hague to assist in the International Criminal Court investigation of alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity by Russia in its invasion of Ukraine.
NATO estimated last June that Canada would spend about 1.39 per cent of its national GDP on defence in 2021. Defence Minister Anita Anand says this morning that the government has committed to increase defence spending, noting a federal budget will be presented next week.
