More senators join call for public inquiry into April mass killing in N.S.
Senators argue lack of action could erode public trust
More than 30 Canadian senators are now urging an inquiry into April's mass killing in Nova Scotia that left 22 victims dead.
In a media release Saturday, the senators argue the lack of action is putting public trust "in jeopardy."
Nova Scotia senators sent letters to federal Public Safety Minister Bill Blair and Nova Scotia Justice Minister Mark Furey on June 7 and again on June 29 to ask them to join forces for a public inquiry.
Now, senators from across Canada have joined the call to action by sending a third letter.
They're calling for a joint federal/provincial public inquiry to address the "complexities of this massacre."
"As of now, three months after the event, action on this has not been taken and there is no clear public explanation as to why," the letter said.
Expanding call to action
In addition to the federal public safety minister and Nova Scotia justice minister, the third letter is also addressed to Minister of Justice and Attorney General David Lametti and Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Development Maryam Monsef.
The letter is also addressed to Kelly Regan, Nova Scotia's minister responsible for the advisory council on the status of women.
"We are expanding our call to action … to further highlight the importance of ensuring that a feminist lens is employed as part of this investigation so as to ensure that a fulsome picture of the events that led to this atrocity are understood and ultimately addressed," the senators said.
The gunman's rampage started with an assault on his common-law spouse, who police said escaped into the woods.
"Nova Scotians and Canadians need to know what happened or did not happen and what might have been done to identify and act on warning signs that might help to prevent such tragedies in the future," the senators said.
'Innuendo and gossip'
The delay in launching an inquiry is fuelling speculation and resulting in "innuendo and gossip" which erode public trust, the senators said.
The senators don't mention any specific rumours, but the RCMP have been trying to quash speculation after a story by Maclean's alleged the gunman was acting as a confidential informant or agent for the police organization.
RCMP have repeatedly said they had no relationship with the gunman, and called the allegations "very sensational and factually incorrect."
The senators said an inquiry needs to be "comprehensive, open, and fully transparent."