By Canadian Press

Nova Scotia mass shooting inquiry allows RCMP witnesses, but lawyers question limits

Mar 9, 2022 | 1:32 PM

HALIFAX — A public inquiry into Nova Scotia’s mass shooting will call RCMP witnesses to testify, but lawyers for victims’ families say they are concerned over rules limiting their ability to directly question officers.

Inquiry chair Michael MacDonald said today he will subpoena the first three officers to arrive at the scene of the killings, as well as five supervising officers and four senior officers — including RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki.

The RCMP’s lawyer and their members’ union have resisted calls for officers to testify about the police response to the April 18-19, 2020, killings of 22 people by a man driving a replica police vehicle. 

They have said RCMP officers risk being re-traumatized on the witness stand.

MacDonald says the trio of front-line officers will testify together in a witness panel later this month, with the initial round of questions coming from the commission’s counsel. But he says lawyers for the victims’ families will need to seek permission from inquiry commissioners to ask questions.

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Michael Scott, a lawyer for 14 of the 22 victims’ families, told reporters today he’s glad the witnesses will be under oath, but he said he takes issue with the fact he has to seek permission before he can question officers.

Tara Miller, a lawyer for two families, says she’s also concerned about “the fettering of our ability to cross-examine.”

The commission has noted that part of its mandate is to be “trauma informed,” and MacDonald said today that means looking at how witnesses can testify in ways that don’t cause them further harm.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 9, 2022.

The Canadian Press