December 10, 2020
On behalf of the Joint Federal/Provincial Commission into the April 2020 Nova Scotia Mass Casualty (the “Mass Casualty Commission”), we thank you for visiting this website to learn more about this public inquiry.
Work is underway to establish the necessary structure required to support the Commission, including setting up offices and the technology and teams to support this process. At the same time, we are eager to engage those most directly affected by this mass casualty in order to define a clear process that we will share with the public.
The horrific events in April took the lives of many innocent people and left others with serious physical and emotional injuries. The scale of the loss and trauma caused fear, anger and grief in our communities, province, country, and beyond. While many people refer to those events as the mass “shooting”, in addition to the gun-related deaths, there were many types of harms. While others refer to those events as the “Portapique shootings”, the devastation spanned a wide geographic area of Nova Scotia. This is why we are using the term “mass casualty”. As Commissioners, it is our responsibility to find out why the mass casualty happened, how it happened, and to make recommendations that prevent such a thing from happening again. We intend to perform our duties with compassion and with an unwavering commitment to a full, transparent, and independent inquiry.
We acknowledge that this Commission will be carried out during unusual times. The COVID-19 pandemic has secured its grip around the region and has forced all of us to make changes to our everyday lives. While the pandemic will require some flexibility around how we conduct a public inquiry, we are confident that we will be able to work safely and effectively. We will be closely monitoring the situation and adhering to all directives from Public Health.
This website will be updated with new information about the Commission as it becomes available. We encourage you to visit regularly to learn more about the Commission, check in on progress, and to acknowledge the impact of the events of April 18-19, 2020.
Respectfully, The Mass Casualty Commission
Hon. J. Michael MacDonald, Chair
Leanne J. Fitch (Ret. Police Chief, M.O.M.)
Dr. Kim Stanton