LUCKI REFERRED TO DIRECT PRESSURE FROM MINISTER BLAIR

   A scathing letter from an RCMP communications manager released Tuesday says RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki referred to direct pressure from the federal public safety minister to release firearm details in the days after the Nova Scotia mass shooting.
   It’s the second such claim by an RCMP official who was on an April 28, 2020, conference call in which Lucki criticized Halifax staff, nine days after the rampage that resulted in 22 deaths.
   The letter from Lia Scanlan dated April 14, 2021, claims the RCMP’s leader focused on the Liberal government’s agenda of passing firearms legislation during the hastily arranged meeting.
   As the dressing down unfolded, Scanlan said Lucki “informed us of the pressures and conversation with (Public Safety) Minister (Bill) Blair, which we clearly understood was related to the upcoming passing of the gun legislation.”
   “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.”