The head of the RCMP denies a statement from a Mountie colleague who tried to direct the information that investigators published as part of their investigation into the 2020 massacre in Nova Scotia.
This allegation was included in handwritten notes by the Nova Scotia RCMP alternate. Darren Campbell, who was released Tuesday as part of the Mass Victims Commission investigation.
The commission is investigating the April 18-19, 2020 crash that claimed the lives of 22 people, including a pregnant woman, and left several people injured and several homes destroyed. The commission released a report on Tuesday on how the RCMP and the government communicated with the public about the incident.
TARGET | Did the government try to interfere with an RCMP investigation into the Nova Scotia mass shooting?
Did the government try to interfere with an RCMP investigation into the Nova Scotia mass shooting?
A report released by a public inquiry into the 2020 Nova Scotia mass shooting suggests that RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki had promised the government that it would release information about the firearms used in the tragedy. MEPs Taleeb Noormohamed and Raquel Dancho spoke.
In these notes, Campbell wrote that Lucki was upset that the RCMP in Nova Scotia did not disclose further information about the weapons used because it had promised the federal government, which was considering gun control legislation at the time, that the would raise.
“As a police officer and commissioner of the RCMP, I would never take any action or decision that could jeopardize an investigation. I did not interfere with the ongoing investigations into the largest mass shooting in Canadian history,” he wrote in a statement issued Tuesday evening. .
Lucki did not address the claim that she was pushing for the release of more information to help the Liberals’ plans for arms control. He said briefings were needed with the Minister of Public Security, especially during a mass shooting.
“This is a standard procedure and does not affect the integrity of ongoing investigations or interfere with the independence of the RCMP,” he wrote.
“I take the principle of police independence very seriously and it has been and will continue to be fully respected in all interactions.”
Mountie feared the release would “jeopardize” the investigation
The allegation comes from a press conference on April 24, 2020. During that event, Campbell told reporters that the gunman had two semi-automatic pistols and two semi-automatic rifles. He did not provide further details, but said some of the weapons may have come from the United States and that the Canada Border Services Agency was assisting with the investigation.
“The commissioner was obviously upset. She didn’t raise her voice, but her choice of words was indicative of her general dissatisfaction with our work,” Campbell wrote after meeting with Lucki a few days later. His handwritten notes describing that meeting became part of the commission’s investigation.
“The commissioner said she had promised the Minister of Public Security and the Prime Minister’s Office that the RCMP (us) would release this information,” Campbell continued. “I tried to explain that there was no intention to disrespect anyone, but we could not disclose this information at this time. which would make the agents and the public safer. “
Then-Minister of Public Security Bill Blair speaks with RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki as they wait to appear before a committee of the Commons on February 27, 2020 in Ottawa. (Adrian Wyld / The Canadian Press)
In the spring of 2020, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a ban on some 1,500 brands and models of firearms, including two of the weapons used in the mass shooting in Nova Scotia: a Colt Law Enforcement rifle, a gun semi-automatic and a Ruger Mini. -14.
At that time, the police had not disclosed the specific brands and models used in the attacks. This information was not made public until the autumn of 2020, when the National Post reported details of the weapons after obtaining an information note prepared for the Prime Minister after the shooting.
Campbell said he told the RCMP’s Strategic Communications Unit not to disclose information about firearms because it could hamper the investigation.
“I said we couldn’t because doing so would jeopardize the ongoing efforts to move forward on the U.S. side of the case, as well as the Canadian components of the investigation,” he wrote.
“These are facts and I keep them.”
On the meeting with Lucki, Campbell wrote that some in the room “were reduced to tears and moved by this despicable rebuke.”
In his statement, Lucki said he regrets his behavior at that meeting.
“Several days after the mass shooting, I met with colleagues from the RCMP in Nova Scotia to discuss a number of things. This included the flow of information at the RCMP’s national headquarters on research and “It was a tense discussion and I regret the way I approached the meeting and the impact it had on the audience,” he said.
“My need for information should have been better weighed against the seriousness of the circumstances I was experiencing. I should have been more sensitive in my approach. If I had led the meeting in a different way, these employees they would have felt more supported during what I know was an extremely difficult time. “
Blair denies pressuring Mountie
During a round of questions in the House of Commons on Tuesday, Conservative MP Stephen Ellis accused Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair, then Minister of Public Safety, of using the deaths of Canadians to boost ‘political agenda of the liberals.
Blair denied the allegations.
“The RCMP commissioner has confirmed to the committee that neither I nor any other member of this government has ever exercised this direction or pressure,” he said.
Conservatives continued to raise the issue during question period on Tuesday, and Blair went on to say that the RCMP commissioner’s police operations are independent of the government.
“Among the most important work of the Mass Victims Commission is to examine the important communication challenges that were evident during this tragic event. We look forward to fact-based findings and recommendations for improvement,” Blair said.
The commission’s investigation has not released any notes from Lucki. She is expected to be called as a witness next month.
“The RCMP remains an active participant in the MCC. I will testify in the coming weeks and the RCMP will continue to support the important work of the Commission,” Lucki said in a statement.
The Liberals introduced Bill C-21 last month, which would impose a national freeze on the purchase, sale, import and transfer of weapons to Canada.