Inquiry details to be released this month: Furey

Details of a proposed joint provincial/ federal review into April's mass shooting will be released at some point in July, says Justice Minister Mark Furey.

“With confidence certainly this month," said the minister on Thursday answering a reporter's question on when information defining the review and its mandate would be released to the public.

Furey had committed to making these details public in mid-june but admitted that was a mistake in judgment given the complexity of the case. The former RCMP officer said his department's legal team continues to work with Minister of Public Safety

Bill Blair and his legal team on finalizing the “legalities and technicalities” of the review.

“It's absolutely important that we get this right. I'm not going to commit myself to timelines, that's a mistake I made a couple of weeks ago, not realizing the legalities around some of this work.”

More than two months after the shooting that claimed 22 Nova Scotians on April 18 and 19, the minister is facing increased pressure to commit to a public inquiry into the deadliest shooting in the country's history.

Five Canadian senators released a joint statement on Monday asking for Blair and Furey to commit to a joint federal/provincial public inquiry into the tragedy and “concrete answers as to why an inquiry has not yet been launched. The letter said the delays and ongoing lack of transparency around the mass shootings is jeopardizing public trust in law enforcement.

The senators had written a letter to both ministers on June 7 calling for a joint and equally led public inquiry into the shootings and related events.

In May, 33 law school faculty members signed a letter to the province asking for a public inquiry. The group, led by professors Richard Devlin and Elaine Craig, is calling for a critical review of the procedures and decisions employed by RCMP during the shootings, but also in the months and years before the tragedy.

Tory Leader Tim Houston said the province has delayed committing to a public inquiry into the tragedy for far too long.

"It's been more than two weeks since the minister said that most of the details of the joint provincial inquiry were being finalized yet here we are and we're still waiting," said Houston. "I echo the Dalhousie law professors and the senators. I just urge the premier and minister to commit to a public inquiry so that the healing can begin so we can explore policy changes that might be necessary to ensure this never happens again."

NDP Leader Gary Burrill also believes the tragedy warrants a public inquiry, but said he's encouraged by Furey's commitment to release details of the proposed review by the end of the month.

“I agree that public confidence in the administration of justice is jeopardized otherwise and so the sooner the better,” said Burrill.