Ottawa and Halifax
The horrific events that unfolded in Nova Scotia in April 2020 have shaken all Canadians, and we are united in wanting answers to how and why this tragedy occurred.
We seek to understand why they happened, how healing can take place and how such events can be prevented in the future.
Today, the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, the Honourable Bill Blair, and Nova Scotia Attorney General and Minister of Justice, the Honourable Mark Furey, announced a joint review of the April 18 and 19 Nova Scotia tragedy.
A three-member independent Review Panel has been jointly appointed to conduct this review and report back on its findings and recommendations. The Panel will be chaired by Michael MacDonald and include Anne McLellan and Leanne Fitch. The Panel will consider the causes, context and circumstances giving rise to the incident, the response of police, and steps taken to inform, support and engage victims, families and affected citizens.
The review will address a variety of issues relating to the perpetrator, police and other law enforcement agencies, as well as victims and families. Some topics to be reviewed include:
· contributing and contextual factors including the involvement of gender-based and intimate-partner violence;
· the perpetrator's access to firearms;
· police response; and
· police communications with the public, victims, their families, the Alert Ready Program and other law enforcement agencies.
The two ministers have committed that all agencies and organizations under their respective jurisdiction and authorities will participate fully in this Review, ensuring that the Review Panel has what it needs to fulfill its mandate. These include, but are not limited to, the RCMP, the Canada Firearms Program, the Canada Border Services Agency, the Criminal Intelligence Service and the national Alert Ready Program.
