Justin Trudeau assures that the commissioner of the RCMP still has his confidence

A report released Tuesday by the Public Inquiry into the tragedy included handwritten notes from an RCMP superintendent of a Nova Scotia staff meeting 10 days after the killings. According to the memo, Ms Lucki expressed disappointment that the types of weapons used by the killer have not yet been made public.

According to the memo, the commissioner allegedly said during the meeting that she had promised the federal Department of Public Safety and the Prime Minister’s Office that the RCMP would release information about the weapons used by the shooter because that information was related to the ongoing gun control bill in Ottawa.

Bill Blair, who was public safety minister at the time, said Wednesday that Ms Lucki had made no such promise to him.

Other documents released by the public inquiry cite an RCMP communications director who alleges that Mr. Trudeau and the office of Minister Blair weighed down with their weight about what the RCMP could and could not say during press briefings after the shooting.

Mr. Trudeau said Thursday that no undue influence or pressure of the executive had been exercised over the RCMP in Nova Scotia.

Brenda Lucki fights back

In a written statement released Tuesday evening, Ms. Lucki said she did not interfere with the Nova Scotia investigation, but regretted the way she handled the April 28, 2020 meeting. She explains also that this meeting concerned in particular the flow of information on the investigation to RCMP Headquarters and public reporting.

I regret the way I approached the meeting and I am sorry for the repercussions it had on those present, she wrote. My need for information should have taken more into consideration the seriousness of the circumstances they were experiencing.

Reporters asked Trudeau, who was in Kigali, Rwanda, on Thursday to attend the Commonwealth summit this week, if he thought Lucki’s attitude at the meeting was appropriate. The commissioner spoke about it in her statement, he said. We continue to support the Commissioner, to trust her.

The Prime Minister stressed that only the police determine what information to disclose publicly, and when during the investigation. I will point out, however, that when the worst mass shooting in Canadian history happened, we had a lot of questionshe added.

Canadians had a lot of questions, and I received regular briefings on what we knew, what we didn’t know. And those responses continue to be released even as the public inquiry is ongoing so the families can really find out what happened, and we will continue to take responsible action.

On Wednesday, in the Commons, the Minister of Public Security, Marco Mendicino, had also assured that Ms. Lucki retained her confidence.