NOEL: A well-respected former East Hants resident is one of three chosen to be part of the Independent Review Panel put together by the provincial and federal governments to look into the N.S. mass shootings that took place in April, leaving 22 dead.
The Honourable A. Anne McLellan, who was born on the Noel Shore, will join chair, the Honourable J. Michael MacDonald, a recently retired judge, and former Fredericton Police Chief Leanne J. Fitch as the panelists looking into the shootings and hoping to bring about answers for the families, Nova Scotians, and Canadians.
McLellan served four terms as an MP. She currently is a Senior Advisor in the Public Policy Practice Group with Bennett Jones LLP.
Here is a statement issued by the panel on July 24:
“The tragedy of April 18-19, 2020 was a devastating act of violence. Grieving families and communities understandably have many questions. We accept the responsibility entrusted to us with a solemn commitment and determination to conduct a thorough and independent review into these tragic events and into the broader context and circumstances leading to, surrounding, and following them.
“In the coming weeks and months, we will meet with families, survivors, first responders, law enforcement officials and others as we examine what happened, how it happened, and what lessons and actions can improve community safety and help prevent such tragedies in the future.”
“We believe the scope and mandate of the review announced today, July 23, will provide us what we need to do this work effectively and comprehensively. Our approach will be trauma-informed as we undertake this work with care and compassion for those who have been most deeply affected. We are committed to examining the contexts that played a role in these acts of violence, including gender-based and intimate partner violence.
“We take on this mandate with a commitment to the accountability of public institutions.”
The panel will deliver an interim report to the federal and provincial ministers, and to the public, by the end of February 2021, with a final report by the end of August 2021.
