[CaptainCrunch]

New testimony from the Halifax mass shooting inquiry that's pretty damning.

CMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki “made a promise” to Public Safety Minister Bill Blair and the Prime Minister’s Office to leverage the mass murders of April 18/19, 2020 to get a gun control law passed.

A week after the murders, Lucki pressured RCMP in Nova Scotia to release details of the weapons used by the killer. But RCMP commanders in Nova Scotia refused to release such details, saying doing so would threaten their investigation into the murders.

The Trudeau government’s gun control objectives were spelled out in an order in council issued in May 2020, and were encapsulated in Bill C-21, which was tabled last month, but the concern in April 2020 was the extent to which politics threatened to interfere with a cross-border police investigation into how the killer managed to obtain and smuggle into Canada four illegal guns used to commit many of the 22 murders.

The RCMP subsequently learned the killer paid a man named Neil Gallivan to purchase one assault-style rifle at a 2019 gun show in Houlton, Maine. The killer also obtained two illegal handguns from a close friend and collector named Sean Conlogue.

n the firearms question, Campbell told journalists he “couldn’t get into details… because the investigation is still active and ongoing,” except to confirm the gunman had several semi-automatic handguns and two semi-automatic rifles.

Shortly after the news conference Campbell, Asst. Commander Lee Bergerman, Leather, and Nova Scotia Communications director Lia Scanlan were summoned to a meeting. RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki and a deputy from Ottawa were on the conference call. Lucki was not happy.

Campbell’s handwritten notes made immediately following that meeting describe what happened:

The Commissioner was obviously upset. She did not raise her voice but her choice of words was indicative of her overall dissatisfaction with our work. The Commissioner accused us (me) of disrespecting her by not following her instructions. I was and remain confused over this. The Commissioner said she told Comms to tell us at H Division to include specific info about the firearms used by [the killer]….However I said we couldn’t because to do so would jeopardize ongoing efforts to advance the U.S. side of the case as well as the Canadian components of the investigation. Those are facts and I stand by them.

Campbell noted that Lucki went on at length and said she was “sad and disappointed” that he had not provided these details to the media. Campbell continued:

The Commissioner said she had promised the Minister of Public Safety and the Prime Minister’s Office that the RCMP (we) would release this information. I tried to explain there was no intent to disrespect anyone however we could not release this information at this time. The Commissioner then said that we didn’t understand, that this was tied to pending gun control legislation that would make officers and the public safer. She was very upset and at one point Deputy Commissioner (Brian) Brennan tried to get things calmed down but that had little effect. Some in the room were reduced to tears and emotional over this belittling reprimand.

ather had been told one hour before the briefing there were at least 15 confirmed victims at 15 crime scenes, with the possibility of more. Many who watched the live briefing observed the RCMP officer appeared like a deer caught in headlights.

But Nova Scotia ‘H’Division did not have control of the message.

Contravening the agreed protocol, throughout the early hours of Sunday evening, RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki agreed to a number of one-on-one interviews with reporters. At 7:36pm, CBC News quoted Lucki as stating there were 13 victims; at 7: 40pm, CTV reported Lucki had said 14 victims; and at 7:56pm, the Canadian Press quoted Lucki as having confirmed 17 dead, including the gunman.

The public and the press corps were both confused and alarmed.

“So how does it happen that Commissioner Lucki….?”, MCC lawyer Krista Smith started to ask Communications director Lia Scanlan during an interview last February.

“I don’t know, ask National Headquarters,” retorted Scanlan.“The commissioner releases a body count that we (Communications) don’t even have. She went out and did that. It was all political pressure. That is 100% Minister Blair and the Prime Minister. And we have a Commissioner that does not push back.”

At 10:21 Sunday night, Lia Scanlan emailed Sharon Tessier, the senior communications manager at RCMP National Headquarter, and two colleagues asking them to speak to Lucki about releasing victim information:

Can I make a request that we stop changing the number of victims. Please allow us to lead the release of information. It looks fragmented and inconsistent. I spoke with the Commanding Officer tonight and we will be updating this tomorrow.

We knew at the time of the press event it was more than 10 (victims) but that is what we came to ground on for the event. That is our plan tomorrow, to update as our members continue their jobs and discover more crime scenes and bodies. The changes in number are causing our phones to ring off the hook…