The train wreck continues: RCMP comms director echoes senior officer's allegation of political interference, to push gun ban

As Nova Scotia's Mass Casualty Commission continues to dig into the circumstances surrounding the Portapique-area killings of 2020, the costs continue to grow (now above $20 million), and allegations of incompetence and corruption continue to spread.

The latest round of revelations on Tuesday, June 28, included a letter from an RCMP communications director that backs up earlier allegations from a senior police officer involved with the investigation immediately following the killings.

According to a letter from Lia Scanlan, then a senior RCMP communications director in Nova Scotia, RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki indicated she was under pressure from politicians to use the Portapique killings to push a gun control agenda forward. While RCMP personnel in Nova Scotia were reluctant to release details about the firearms used in the Portapique murders, out of empathy for family members and concern for the ongoing criminal investigation, Scanlan's letter says Lucki was pushing to steer the narrative towards supporting the Liberal Party's plans for gun control, at the behest of then-Minister of Public Safety Bill Blair.

"You spoke to us as if we didn't know what we were doing and were ignorant to government and public pressure," the letter reads. "Eventually you informed us of the pressures and conversation with Minister Blair, which we clearly understood was related to the upcoming passing of the gun legislation...and there it was. I remember a feeling of disgust as I realized this was the catalyst for the conversation and perhaps a justification for what you were saying about us."

In the letter's ending paragraphs, the issue comes up again: "Our focus was on the families and on the boys not on the legislation passed May 1, 2020."

You can read Scanlan's letter in its entirety (minus lines redacted for personal reasons) here, as tabled by the Mass Casualty Commission.

Political influence

This isn't Scanlan's first allegation of political interference in the RCMP response to the Portapique murders. Previously, Scanlan said Bill Blair and even Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tried to influence the RCMP's messaging after the killings; however, we are unable to share all of her comments to the Commission, as they've been redacted. For their part, both Trudeau and Blair deny they had any undue influence in the police response, and Lucki says the same thing.

However, Scanlan isn't alone in her claims. As we told you last week, RCMP Support Services Officer Darren Campbell has also shared notes from a meeting with RCMP Commissioner Lucki, saying she pressured Nova Scotia law enforcement to release details on the Portapique killer's firearms in order to advance the Liberal government's agenda. Unhappy with the initial tight-lipped approach to the case's details, Campbell said Lucki had pressured Nova Scotia's RCMP over a conference call. This is the same incident that resulted in Scanlan's letter of reply referenced above.

It appears this part of the saga isn't over yet either, as lawyers representing the families say they intend to bring Scanlan back in front of the Commission for more questions about political interference.

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