TRURO, NS, March 30, 2023 /CNW/ - Today, the Honourable Marco Mendicino, Minister of Public Safety, issued the following statement:
"In April 2020, the lives of countless Nova Scotians were forever changed in the worst mass shooting in our country's history. It's been almost three years since we lost Tom Bagley, Kristen and baby Beaton, Jamie Blair, Greg Blair, Joy Bond and Peter Bond, Lillian Campbell Hyslop, Corrie Ellison, Gina Goulet, Lisa McCully, Dawn Madsen, Frank Gulenchyn, Sean McLeod, Alanna Jenkins, Heather O'Brien, Jolene Oliver, Emily Tuck, Aaron Tuck, Cst. Heidi Stevenson, Joey Webber, Elizabeth Joanne Thomas, John Joseph Zahl. We remember them.
"In the time since, the Mass Casualty Commission (the Commission) has led the Joint Public Inquiry into the Nova Scotia April 2020 Tragedy, examining some of the hard questions we must confront together – including access to illegal firearms, the response of law enforcement and the impact of gender-based violence.
"Today, the Commission delivered its final report. It offers insights into the circumstances leading to the tragedy, outlines lessons learned and makes important recommendations.
"This report represents the conclusion of the Commission's mandate and marks the passing of this important work from the hands of the Commission to the Governments of Canada and Nova Scotia. We are committed to working together with different levels of government to review the report and address its recommendations.
"I thank the Commission, and especially thank the families and victims for their strength and resilience. This continues to be an incredibly difficult time for them. The sense of loss they have experienced is immeasurable. This is also true for the members of RCMP H Division, who lost one of their own in Cst. Heidi Stevenson. In such a tight-knit community, few families were unaffected.
"It is now up to us to begin the next phase of the work that is laid out by the Commission in the final report.
"As Minister of Public Safety and the Government of Canada, we will do everything in our power to support the families of the victims, implement the reforms that are necessary and do our utmost to ensure this kind of tragedy never happens again."
SOURCE Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada
Audrey Champoux, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Public Safety, [email protected]; Media Relations, Public Safety Canada, 613-991-0657, [email protected]
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