Blair, who now serves as emergency preparedness minister, was questioned by reporters on Wednesday about a letter Lia Scanlan, former communications director for the RCMP in Nova Scotia, sent to Commissioner Brenda Lucki. Launched around the one-year anniversary of the shootings and released to the public on Tuesday, the letter alleges Lucki told Nova Scotia staff she was under pressure to disclose the weapons used by the gunman in the riot that killed 22 people. . The letter refers to a meeting between Lucki and Nova Scotia RCMP staff on 28 April 2020, where Scanlan says Lucki briefed the team on “the pressure and the conversation with [then public safety] Minister Blair “. “I remember a feeling of disgust as I realized that this was the catalyst for the debate,” Scanlan said in a letter dated April 14, 2021. “I could not believe what you were saying, the leader of our organization, and I was ashamed to know what was going on. It was horrible, unprofessional and extremely derogatory.” Mr Blair emphasized the need to focus on security, and said that it was even more important now with the crisis over sanctions. “ “My job until then as Secretary of Public Safety was to ensure that information from the Canadian government was gathered in connection with the police response,” he said. “I know very well that the line between government responsibility for governing and overseeing the RCMP and providing guidance in any way, and at no point did I cross that line or any member of my government crossed that line, instructing the RCMP Commissioner. “ Lia Scanlan, former communications director for RCMP Nova Scotia, sent a letter to RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki last year, describing her behavior as “disgusting, unprofessional and extremely derogatory”. (Andrew Vaughan / The Canadian Press) Scanlan’s letter echoes notes released last week by Supt. Darren Campbell on the same subject. Campbell claimed that Lucy had said that she had promised Prime Minister Justin Trinto and Blair that the RCMP would release information about the types of weapons used by the perpetrator. He also noted that Lucky “has to do with pending gun control legislation that would make officers and the public safer.” Campbell’s notes also said he felt that disclosing information about the types of weapons could jeopardize the investigation into how the shooter acquired his weapons. On May 1, 2020, Prime Minister Justin Trindade announced a ban on about 1,500 brands and models, including two of the weapons used in the Nova Scotia mass shooting. At the time, police had not released the specific brands and models used in the attacks. ATTENTION: The Liberals remain adamant that there was no interference in the RCMP investigation into the Nova Scotia shootings:
The Liberals remain adamant that there was no interference in the RCMP investigation into the Nova Scotia shootings
June 23, 2022 – Government House Speaker Mark Hollande reiterates that the federal government has not intervened in the RCMP investigation into the mass murder in Nova Scotia in 2020, but the opposition is launching a commission of inquiry into the allegations. Ukraine’s new ambassador to Canada Yulia Kovalev discusses her country’s bid to join the EU. Scanlan wrote that within the Nova Scotia division, the RCMP undertook to disclose any new information to the victims’ families to the media to prevent their re-victimization, and that the details of the weapon had not yet been communicated to them.
“Everything was political pressure:” Scanlan
This is not the only time Scanlan has made allegations of political pressure. In an interview with Commission investigators earlier this year, she said Blair and the prime minister were “weighing what we could and could not say”. He said he advised Lucki not to do media interviews, but he did anyway, thus giving inaccurate information. Lucki initially shared that 17 people had died, information confirmed by the RCMP internally, when local officials said only “more than 10” people had died in a press conference on the night of April 19th. “He went out and did that and he knew it very well – and it was all political pressure,” Scanlan said. “This is 100 percent Secretary Blair and the prime minister, and we have a commissioner who does not push back.” In addition to Scanlan’s letter, the committee also published handwritten notes from former Assistant Commissioner Lee Bergerman, who has since stepped down as Nova Scotia RCMP Commander and Chief Supt. Chris Leather, who was second in the hierarchy in April 2020, on Tuesday. Bergerman’s notes listed who attended the meeting on April 28, 2020, and included the phrase “angry about the lack of details about the weapons,” but not who made the comment. Leather’s notes stated that the meeting with Lucki was about “the firearms used” and noted an “adjustment to include firearms information in the speech notes”. He also noted that one issue that arose was concern about the “flow of information”.
Lucki regrets ‘effects of my words’
In a statement issued Tuesday night, Lucky said she was disappointed with the flow of information after the shooting, but said there had been no political interference. “It was an extremely difficult time and I expressed my frustration with the flow of information. I regret the impact my words had on those who attended that meeting,” he wrote. “I know there are questions about policy interventions. There was definitely a need to exchange timely and accurate information with the Government of Canada and I tried to do that. However, I want to emphasize again that I did not seek to interfere in the ongoing investigation. nor did I feel any political pressure to do so. “ RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki said she was disappointed with the flow of information after the shooting, but said there was no political interference. (Chris Wattie / The Canadian Press) Blair said he was unaware of Lucky’s conversations with her staff. “The RCMP commissioner also admitted that she had a difficult conversation with her own people,” he said. “But I can tell you with absolute certainty, my government and I did not give any operational direction nor did I interfere in any way in the police investigation or response.” The allegations sparked a political storm in Ottawa and led to an upcoming parliamentary hearing to address allegations of possible political interference. In a separate press conference on Tuesday, the current Minister of Public Security, Marco Medicino, was asked if this latest scandal has damaged the trust in the top Mountie. “Well, on the easiest days being an RCMP commissioner is difficult. It’s a big job,” he said. “I know the commissioner works daily to work with her leadership team as well as with RCMP members.”
The family lawyer concerns
Lucky is expected to appear before the Mass Accidents Committee this summer, where she will testify under oath. Michael Scott of Patterson Law, the company that represents the families of most of the shooting victims, said he was concerned about possible political interference. He said it would be useful for those at the April 28 meeting to confirm “exactly what was said” in order to remove any discussion on this point. “Then we will have some real questions about the involvement of the RCMP from the Ottawa headquarters in this investigation, because we would be very concerned about using the mass loss incident as some kind of political opportunity,” Scott told reporters at survey on Tuesday.
