RCMP Commissioner denies political influence in Nova Scotia mass shooting probe

In an all-day hearing Monday, RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki backed up earlier testimony from former public safety minster, Bill Blair, denying that the Trudeau government interfered with the police investigation into the Nova Scotia mass shooting two years ago.

Lucki and Blair both said no directions were given to release information, and any meetings they had were for normal briefings in an emergency situation.

The allegations stem from notes from RCMP officials after a tense meeting in the wake of the shooting, where they claim Commissioner Lucki said she promised the government to release gun details, due to pending gun control legislation.

The shooting spree in April 2020 left 23 people, including the gunman, dead.

Lucki said she did not interfere in the investigation, but that part of her frustration with the Nova Scotia division stemmed from the fact she was told by her communications team that information about the firearms used by the gunman would be released during an April 28, 2020, public briefing.

As a result, Lucki said, she confirmed to then-public safety minister Bill Blair that details of the weapons would be released publicly. When that didn’t happen, “I felt I had misinformed the minister and by extension the prime minister,” Lucki said.

The public safety committee is looking into allegations the federal government was meddling in the police investigation.

Then-Supt. Darren Campbell wrote in his notes about the meeting that Lucki said releasing the list of weapons was tied to pending gun control legislation.

Meanwhile, Blair told MPs on the committee the government decided after the shooting spree to schedule May 1, 2020, as the date to announce its ban of some 1,500 models of assault-style firearms.

Blair said the terrible Nova Scotia events were “highly motivating” to him in moving forward on the Liberal government’s promise to outlaw the firearms, but he added that the ban was in the works for months.

Blair and the department’s deputy minister, Rob Stewart, were asked by MPs whether the government was trying to drum up support for the weapons ban.

Blair told the committee he believes there is “overwhelming support” among Canadians for the firearms ban, and he didn’t think the government needed to connect it to the shootings to justify its decision.

Blair and Trudeau have adamantly denied there was any political interference in the case.