RED DEER, AB –
Tammy Oliver-McCurdie’s sister, brother-in law, and niece were all killed in Nova Scotia’s mass shooting two years ago. Now she is giving criticism to Ottawa for not doing enough to keep police gear out of public hands.
Jolene Oliver, Aaron Tuck, and Emily Tuck died in their home after a gunman began a 13-hour murderous rampage on April 18, 2020.
Gabriel Wortman murdered 22 people – including a pregnant mother – evading police in his fully-marked replica RCMP cruiser until he was shot and killed by police the next day.
Witness statements made public by the inquiry examining the tragedy have shown just how many people knew about the killer’s mock cop car but didn’t report it to authorities.
McCurdie says her family was told he was allowed to have it.
“They were told he can have that RCMP car cause it’s for a parade and that as long as the wheels aren’t touching the ground and it’s on a flat deck trailer,” she says.
Information gathered by the Mass Casualty Commission suggests he drove it in public on a number of occasions before the tragedy.
McCurdie believes a law prohibiting even owning such a car might have made a difference.
“If a complaint was made, maybe they [police] could have investigated,” she says, “maybe they had to record it because there’s a law in place.”
Nova Scotia will soon become the only province to enact a law prohibiting the unauthorized possession of police gear and other items, which takes effect May 12.
When CTV News asked the federal Department of Justice if it’s considering a similar national law, a justice spokesperson replied with an email statement in lieu of an interview with Minister David Lametti.
“The Criminal Code does not prohibit purchasing or possessing police equipment,” writes Geneviève Groulx.
“Under section 130…it is an offense to falsely represent oneself as a peace officer or a public officer, and to use a badge or article of uniform or equipment in a manner that is likely to cause persons to believe that one is a peace officer or a public officer.”
The email continues, “At this time, the government is not considering the enactment of Criminal Code offenses in this area.”
“To not take this to the full extent for the safety of people,” Oliver-McCurdie responds, “that’s pretty disappointing, more than disappointing.”
Several Nova Scotia MPs contacted by CTV would only say they are awaiting recommendations the Mass Casualty Commission may make in relation to police paraphernalia.
Conservative MP Dr. Stephen Ellis, who represents the riding of Cumberland-Colchester, says there needs to be an exploration and an understanding of how the current system works.
“And the question that then remains is, is that enough? Is that going to be satisfactory when we look at this through the Mass Casualty Commission to say, ‘what things can be done better here from a system perspective?'”
“I have a sense,” Ellis adds, “that families won’t be satisfied until that law is changed.”
Central Nova MP Sean Fraser, who is also a federal Minister of Immigration, wasn’t available for an interview, sending a statement instead.
“To the extent the Commission makes recommendations about how we can ensure nothing of this nature will ever happen again, my colleagues and I will be earnestly studying those comments. On my part, I will continue to make myself available for conversations with any affected family members who wish to discuss this matter with me.”
Dalhousie University law professor Johnathan Shapiro isn’t surprised by Ottawa’s hesitancy.
“That doesn’t strike me as something the federal government wants to do because property regulation is provincial,” he explains.
Shapiro says that’s why the Criminal Code deals with actions that are illegal, while provinces can regulate the ownership of property.
Although, he adds, the federal government has regulated what Canadians can own before – with gun control – which has led to a series of constitutional challenges.
“If they choose to do it, if the federal government does something like this,” says Shapiro, “it’s likely to stray closer to the line of crossing into provincial territory, than what they’re currently doing.”
“Maybe people who collect have to go through a check and balance like people who are gun owners,” says Oliver-McCurdie, “for safety.””
Oliver-McCurdie says her concern lies not only with the 2020 tragedy, but with the future safety of Canadians, as other police impersonation cases have been documented across the country since.
She believes a national law is necessary, to help regain trust in the symbols meant to represent public safety.
Something she hasn’t felt since her family was killed.