The federal government is now calling for the public release of a video made by Michael Zehaf-Bibeau before his attack on Parliament Hill last fall.
The Mounties had initially said that they hoped to show the video to the public, but RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson later suggested that may never happen.
“We may look at releasing some aspects of the transcript of the video,” Paulson said in December. “But I don’t know that we will be releasing the video.”
The New Democrats and the Liberals have criticized the RCMP for withholding the video, saying it was in the public interest to show it. A House of Commons and Senate committee has also asked the RCMP to publicly release the footage.
Paulson has said that the video laid out Zehaf-Bibeau’s reasons for the Ottawa attacks.
On October 22, Zehaf-Bibeau shot and killed Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, who was standing guard at the National War Memorial. He then stormed Parliament Hill and was killed in an exchange of fire inside the Centre Block building.
Agencies/Canadajournal