The House Public Safety Committee voted Monday to six votes to re-question both RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lackey and former Public Safety Minister Bill Blair over allegations of political interference in the 2020 Nova Scotia shooting investigation. I did it in 5.
After the Mass Casualty Commission (MCC) released a recording of Lucky’s phone call telling RCMP staff last week that Blair had requested that details of the investigation into the gun used in the shooting be made public, this was again the case. Suspicions arose.
“Based on the audio recording and what was said at the committee, it is very clear that someone is not telling the truth, and it could be either the head of the RCMP or the former Minister of Public Security,” said a Conservative MP and public security official. commentator Raquel said.Chief of the Public Safety Commission meeting October 24th.
“I’d be pretty shocked if the minister wasn’t going to come and schedule a time in his defense,” she added.
In a call made on April 28, 2020, about 10 days after the shooting deaths of 22 people in Porta Pique, Nova Scotia, Lucky told staff about Blair and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. He said he had to “apologize” to both. Because details of the gun were not included in the press conference and news release that day.
At the same time, the federal government had pending gun control laws. On May 1, 2020, the government announced a ban on her 1,500 types of “assault-style” firearms.
“powerful people”
Both Lucky and Blair previously appeared before the Public Safety Commission and denied allegations of interfering in the shooting investigation.
“I never asked Commissioner Lucky to reveal that information,” Blair told Dancho at the Commission’s July 25th meeting.
At the same meeting, Lucki said, “I wasn’t interfered with, I wasn’t directed, I didn’t cross the line.”
At a Public Safety Commission meeting on Monday, several Liberal lawmakers spoke out against re-questioning Blair and Lucky, with lawmaker Pam Damoff saying the newly released call recordings “won’t change anything.” ‘ said.
“I, [RCMP] A commissioner would be enough,” Damov said.
Liberal lawmaker Talib Nomohammed said re-questioning Lucky and Blair was simply a case of “political opportunism.”
“I don’t think it’s ultimately in the country’s interest to waste time calling the RCMP commissioners and rehashing exactly what we already know.
On 21 October, the Conservative Party called on Lucky and Blair to resign from their respective positions following the release of the recordings.
On Monday, Dancho said it appeared that both Lucky and Blair “misled” the committee in July.
“They are powerful people,” she said, adding, “They need to be held accountable by this commission on behalf of Canadians.”
“The idea that the then Minister of Public Security saw the deaths of 22 people, including pregnant women, as an opportunity to pass the bill is appalling.”
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Peter Wilson is a reporter based in Ontario, Canada.