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.
Canada was one of several dozen countries to refer the Ukraine situation to the prosecutor's office of the court. Mendicino said Canada was sending the additional police resources at the request of the prosecutor's office.
There are 273 individuals hospitalized with COVID-19 and 46 are in intensive care. In the past 24 hours, one new death (Northern Health) has been reported, for an overall total of 2,990.
The Vancouver-based athletic clothing company, which reports in U.S. dollars, says it earned US$434.5 million or US$3.36 per diluted share in the quarter, up from US$329.8 million or US$2.52 per share a year earlier.
Following a preliminary review, RCMP began a criminal investigation in December 2020. The Transportation Safety Board has said the westbound train had been parked on a grade with its air brakes applied for two hours when it began rolling on its own.
RCMP say Damion Ryan, who is 41, was arrested in Ontario last month and is facing numerous charges related to firearms and drug trafficking. They say he is a full-patch Hells Angels member for the motorcycle gang’s Attica chapter in Greece.
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said Tuesday she will deliver this year's spending plan on April 7. Freeland has said the document would be focused on spurring economic growth. The budget will be the first since September's federal election that saw the Liberals returned with their second minority mandate.
