RCMP Supt. Darren Campbell provides an update to the Nova Scotia shooting investigation at RCMP headquarters in Dartmouth, NS, on June 4, 2020, Andrew Vaughn / The Canadian Press
Former RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson and other retired Mounties are defending the integrity of Superintendent Darren Campbell, who claims that current Commissioner Brenda Lucky has intervened in the investigation into the largest mass shooting in Canadian history to support the Liberal government’s control program. of weapons.
Emergency Preparedness Secretary Bill Blair does not accept Supt. Campbell’s written account at a conference call on 28 April 2020 between Commissioner Luke and RCMP commanders overseeing the criminal investigation in Vilna 10 days earlier by a lone gunman in Nova Scotia. Twenty-two people were killed in the shooting.
The dispute dominated a period of questions in the House of Commons on Wednesday, prompting conservatives and new Democrats to call for parliamentary hearings to determine who is telling the truth. The opposition wants to hear testimony from Mr Blair, Commissioner Lucky, Campbell and other officers who were part of the April 28 conversation.
RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucky needs to leave
RCMP Commissioner Brenda Luke accused of interfering in investigation into NS mass shootings to help Liberal government control weapons
Supt. Campbell’s notes say Commissioner Lucy told RCMP staff that she had “promised the Secretary of Public Security and the Prime Minister’s Office” that the forces would reveal the type of firearms used in the mass shootings. because this will speed up the government’s “pending arms control”. legislation. ” Mr Blair was Minister for Public Safety at the time.
An RCMP official said Commissioner Lucky was upset because he refused to do so for fears that the policy could jeopardize the cross-border police investigation. The gunman brought three of the weapons to Canada from the United States.
Mr Blair questioned Supt. Campbell’s handwritten notes, which were submitted to the Commission of Mass Victims’ investigation.
“The chief has obviously come to his own conclusions and his remarks reflect that. But I am telling you, and I would tell the superintendent, if I talk to him, that I have made no effort to put pressure on the RCMP to interfere in any way in their investigation, “Mr Blair told reporters.
“I did not give guidance on what information they should report. These are operational decisions of the RCMP. And I respect that and I respect that all the time, “he said. The PMO said Mr Blair was speaking on behalf of the government.
Mr Blair did not say whether he or the PMO had received assurances from Commissioner Lucky that the type of weapons used in the shooting would be released to the public quickly.
In response to repeated questions from municipalities, Mr Blair said MEPs should ask the commissioner.
“Talks between the commissioner and her subordinates are something she can talk to,” he said.
The Globe and Mail asked Commissioner Lucky on Wednesday to confirm or reject Supt. Campbells’ allegations about the alleged promise to Mr Blair and the PMO.
She declined to respond, and the RCMP headquarters said in a statement on Tuesday.
“The commissioner made it clear that she did not interfere in the ongoing investigation, nor did she feel political pressure to do so,” RCMP media relations said.
RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucky listens to a question at a press conference in Ottawa on October 21, 2020. Adrian Wilde / The Canadian Press
Mr Paulson, who was a commissioner from 2011 to 2017, will not be involved in the political dispute over his successor. But he defended Supt. Campbell, a former homicide investigator at the RCMP’s Vancouver office, whom he promoted to headquarters in Ottawa during his tenure.
“Darren is one of the best investigators in the force and an extremely reliable officer with great integrity,” Mr Paulson said. “You won’t find a practicing cop who speaks ill of Darren Campbell.”
Former Deputy Commissioner Pierre-Yves Bordeaux said there was no way Supt. Campbell would make up a story about Commissioner Lucky.
“This officer has a solid reputation,” he said, adding: “He has a mixture of politics and a great political lean, and that’s unfortunate.”
Former RCMP superintendent Peter Lepin also spoke in support of Supt. Campbell.
“I’ve been following Darren Campbell since he was a rookie,” Mr Lepin said. “He is an extremely competent police officer and extremely well trained in the world of major investigations.”
Mr Lepin said he did not believe Supt. Campbell “will falsify any notes or have an agenda to hang someone to dry.”
The recently released testimony is not the first example that the Nova Scotia investigation has revealed where Mountis talks about the Liberal government’s efforts to control the RCMP.
In an interview with investigators from the commission, Leah Scanlan, former director of the RCMP’s Strategic Communications in Halifax, spoke of pressure from Ottawa. The transcript was published earlier this month.
Ms Scanlan told the investigation that federal government officials, including Mr Blair and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, were “weighing what we can and can’t say” during media briefings.
The transcript of her remarks was heavily edited in some sections of the Mass Victims Commission before its publication, and so some details of the testimony remain secret.
At another point, Ms Scanlan spoke of Commissioner Lucky’s behavior in an interview, attributing the incident to “political pressure”, adding that “it is 100 per cent Minister Blair and Prime Minister”.
She then told investigators: “We have a commissioner who does not back down.
Bill Elliott, a former federal bureaucrat who became the country’s first civilian RCMP leader in 2007-2011, said he saw nothing wrong with Commissioner Lucky’s behavior.
“I can understand the reluctance of investigators to disseminate information. “I think it’s appropriate for people like the RCMP Commissioner to consider other considerations,” he said.
The Conservative Party and the NDP are calling for an emergency meeting of the House of Commons Committee on Public Safety and National Security to hold hearings on the issue.
Conservative public safety critic Raquel Dancho and NDP public safety critic Alistair McGregor wrote to Jim Carr, a Liberal lawmaker who chairs the committee, calling for a meeting as soon as possible.
According to the rules of the Chamber, a meeting of the commission may be requested by four members of the commission, one of which must be held within five calendar days for consideration of the request.
With a report by Colin Freese
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