As allegations swirl that Bill Blair may have interfered politically with the RCMP in the wake of the Nova Scotia mass shooting, the emergency preparedness minister says he will “of course” stay in cabinet.
Two letters have now emerged that allege Blair pushed RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki to demand Nova Scotia RCMP release details about the firearms used during the shooting spree, which took 22 people’s lives on April 18, 2020.
They allege the pressure was tied to the Liberal government’s goals of passing firearms legislation — claims that Blair vigorously denied in a Wednesday press conference.
“I, and my government, did not give any operational direction or interfere in any way with the investigation or the police response,” Blair said.
“At no time did I cross that line.”
A letter from RCMP communications manager Lia Scanlan, which was made public on Tuesday, alleges that Lucki described direct pressure from Blair to release firearm details in the days after the Nova Scotia mass shooting.
The letter claims the RCMP’s leader focused on the Liberal government’s agenda of passing firearms legislation during the hastily arranged meeting.
According to Scanlan, who was the strategic communications director at the time of the shootings, Lucki had come on the line incensed that the Halifax staff hadn’t released the gun details, suggesting they had let down surviving children whose parents were killed in Portapique, N.S.
“It was appalling, inappropriate, unprofessional and extremely belittling,” Scanlan wrote.
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