A senior Mountie sent a stern letter to RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki last year, accusing her of succumbing to political pressure and of showing “unprofessional and extremely derogatory” behavior to officers investigating the worst mass shooting in its history. The Accident Committee, which is investigating the killing of 22 people in Nova Scotia in April 2020, on Tuesday issued a reprimand to Lia Scanlan, former RCMP Strategic Communications Director for Halifax. In a letter dated 14 April 2021, Ms Scanlan alleges Inspector Darren Campbell’s allegations that Commissioner Lucki tried to pressure Nova Scotia commanders to disclose details of the weapons used in the shootings in order to strengthen control of her weapons. federal government agenda. It relates to a teleconference on 28 April 2020 – just 10 days after the shootings – in which Commissioner Lucki told a senior Nova Scotia Mounties official about talks he had with then-Public Security Secretary Bill Blair about “the forthcoming passage of legislation on the weapons “. He says Commissioner Lucki suggested that Nova Scotia Mounties had “disappointed” two boys whose parents had been killed by gunmen, failing to release information about the firearms. Ms Scanlan writes: “I remember a feeling of disgust as I realized that this was the catalyst for the debate and perhaps an excuse for what you were saying about us.” He says police officers focused on the victims of the shootings and were surprised when their boss reprimanded them for refusing to disclose details of the weapons, as he had instructed them to do. “The political lens was not our only goal,” he writes. “I could not believe what you were saying, the leader of our organization, and I was ashamed to know what was going on.” He added: “It was horrible, inappropriate, unprofessional and extremely derogatory.” Ms Scanlan said she opposed the revelation of the types of weapons used in the shootings because the victims’ families had not yet been informed and wanted to “prevent their re-victimization by hearing new information from the media”. Four pages of notes by Supt. Campbell’s investigation file was released last week, sparking a day of parliamentary hearings the following month for possible political interference in a police investigation. The notes state that Commissioner Lucki reprimanded Supt. Campbell when he refused to reveal details about the weapons prematurely. She told officials she had promised the “Minister of Public Security and the Office of the Prime Minister” that the RCMP would reveal what types of firearms were used to bolster support for government proposals for arms control. Supt. Campbell said in a statement that he did not want to disclose the details because the RCMP was working with US authorities on the case and could jeopardize the investigation. Three of the weapons had been smuggled in from Maine. In a statement last week, Commissioner Lucki said she regretted the way she “approached the meeting and the impact it had on those present”. He has not yet confirmed or denied the allegations in Supt. Notes by Campbell. Prime Minister Justin Trinto said there had been “unwarranted influence or pressure” on the commissioner. Mr Blair, now the Minister for Emergency Preparedness, also denied that he had pressured Commissioner Lucky to help build the government’s ban on 1,500 types of firearms. Earlier, Scanlan told the investigation that federal officials, including Mr Trinto and Mr Blair, “weighed in on what we could and could not say” during media briefings. The transcript of her observations had been substantially modified in some sections prior to its release, so some details of the filing remain confidential. Elsewhere, she spoke of Commissioner Lucki’s behavior in an interview, attributing it to “political pressure,” adding: “This is 100 percent Secretary Blair and the Prime Minister.” He then told investigators: “We have a Commissioner who is not being pushed back.” Meanwhile, the federal Department of Justice said it had handed over another 17 pages of RCMP investigation files to the Mass Accident Committee on Friday. Ms. Scanlan’s cover letter, which contained the date of the letter of April 14, 2021, was part of this package, according to Kristen Lipscombe, a spokeswoman for the committee. Justice Department spokesman Ian McLeod said three more pages were still being reviewed to see if they should be disclosed to the investigation. He said the department’s lawyers had initially kept 35 pages and submitted 12 documents to the commission on May 30, including Supt. Four pages of Campbell’s notes. Mr McLeod said the office of Justice Secretary David Lametti had no say in the decision to withhold the documents, as Justice Department attorneys regularly review such documents for reasons of confidentiality, lawyer-client privileges and other personal information. The commission sought to know why Ottawa withheld any documents after the entire RCMP investigation file was summoned last June. Conservative public security critic Raquel Dancho has accused the government of being involved in cover-ups. Mr Lametti wants to appear before the Communities’ National Security and National Security Committee next month to explain what happened. The committee voted last Thursday to hold a hearing in July to invite Commissioner Lucki and other Mounties to the debate on 28 April 2020. The committee also wants to hear Mr Blair. For subscribers: Receive exclusive political news and analysis by subscribing to Political information.
