Provincial leadership needed on mass shooting inquiry

HALIFAX -- NDP Justice spokesperson Claudia Chender made the following statement on the need for an inquiry into the April 18-19 shootings:

“Last month, Nova Scotia was home to the worst mass shooting in our country's history. Members of the public, women’s organizations, and legal experts have all called for a public inquiry into the circumstance that led to the devastating events of April 18/19. We must understand the circumstances that allowed this tragedy to unfold so that we can prevent something like this from ever happening again.

The Nova Scotia government is not only responsible for law enforcement and administering justice in our province, but also must play a lead role in addressing domestic violence. We cannot back away from our responsibility to publicly investigate the events of April 18/19 within the broader social context of the shooting, including the roots of gender-based violence.

A public inquiry is the right tool for this kind of broad, independent and transparent review.”

-30-