Nova Scotia mass shooting: New report rates responses from RCMP and governments

CITYnews halifaqx / By The Canadian Press

An independent committee says the RCMP and governments have completed only a fraction of the changes recommended by an inquiry into the 2020 mass shooting in Nova Scotia.

In a new report, the progress monitoring committee says the recommendations it reviewed were divided into 14 different groups, only two of which were rated as complete.

Despite those numbers, committee chairwoman Myra Freeman says she’s pleased with the progress to date, adding the rate of change can never be fast enough.

She also says the RCMP had shown a solid commitment to change by implementing recommendations related to governance and critical incident response.

The committee’s second annual report is being released more than five years after a lone gunman disguised as a Mountie went on a 13-hour rampage, killing 22 people.

Related:

• Gender-based violence spikes five years after Nova Scotia mass shooting
• ‘Feeling helpless’: Committee hears distressing testimony from mother on violence
• ‘Serious commitment’ toward N.S. mass shooting recommendations, says committee
• N.S. mass shooting: committee member flags lack of action on gender-based violence

He was shot dead by two RCMP officers north of Halifax.

Meanwhile, the report says the federal Justice Department’s progress on implementing recommendations regarding supports for victims received the lowest rating, indicating their work had only been initiated.

In March 2023, the Mass Casualty Commission issued 130 recommendations, most of them aimed at improving public safety, reforming the national police force, limiting access to firearms and addressing the root causes of gender-based violence.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 9, 2025.