Ottawa, ON — Raquel Dancho, Conservative Shadow Minister for Public Safety, and Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative Shadow Minister for Public Services and Procurement, released the following statement regarding new evidence provided to the Mass Casualty Commission (MCC) that raises more questions about the Liberal government’s political interference into the police investigation of the Nova Scotia mass killing:

“New email evidence indicates that days after the Nova Scotia mass killing, RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki warned Public Safety Minister Bill Blair’s office that releasing information about the types of firearms used in the crime would compromise the active investigation.

“We know that just five days after she wrote this email, the Commissioner directed the Nova Scotia RCMP to do the opposite, telling them she had ‘promised’ the Minister of Public Safety and the Prime Minister’s Office they would publicly release this information to support the government’s pending firearm legislation. This revealing evidence suggests that in those few days something swayed the Commissioner to go against her own professional advice.

“When the Commissioner of the RCMP tells the government that releasing certain information would compromise an active investigation, that should be the end of the conversation. Clearly, that wasn’t the end of it and somewhere in those five days, the Commissioner was worn down. It is not believable that the Commissioner suddenly changed her mind without influence.

“The Prime Minister and Minister Bill Blair said no ‘undue’ pressure or ‘direction’ was given to the Commissioner. It is time for them to come forward and tell Canadians the full story including exactly how much pressure they and staff in their government applied.

“Since the beginning of this scandal, the Liberal government has denied, blocked, and blamed others. They have withheld self-incriminating evidence from the MCC and blocked senior members of the Liberal government from appearing at the parliamentary committee examining the issue.

“When the pieces are put together, it appears this Liberal government politically pressured the Commissioner and now they are misleading Canadians and trying to cover their tracks.

“The Liberal government needs to come forward and tell Canadians the full story, including what happened in those few days that changed Commissioner Lucki’s mind. We need to hear from all involved, right up to the Prime Minister’s Office. This cover-up must not continue any longer.”