Thank you.
Good afternoon, Madam Chair, honourable members of the committee and colleagues. My name is Lia Scanlan. I'm a 14-year civilian member of the RCMP. As of January 2022, my position is that of strategic adviser to the commanding officer of Nova Scotia. In 2020, I was the director of the strategic communications unit for the Nova Scotia RCMP.
Before I go any further, it's important to acknowledge at the outset that we must maintain sight of what took place in Nova Scotia on April 18 and 19, 2020. It was the worst mass casualty in our country's history. Twenty-two people lost their lives, including a colleague. None of us will ever understand what the victims and their families have experienced and continue to go through.
Honouring the victims' lives and keeping their children and families at the forefront is what's most important. Countless others are injured physically and mentally and they must remain in our thoughts as they face a lifetime of healing. What took place forever changed Nova Scotia. It has been indescribable and far-reaching. The strength and resilience of our Nova Scotia communities have been obvious for all to see in the aftermath of this tragedy. People have rallied together in countless ways, a demonstration of the true maritime spirit, and it makes me very proud to call myself a Nova Scotian.
The tragedy of April 2020 and its aftermath has been a very challenging two and a half years professionally and personally. On April 19, 2020, I was involved in the operational response. The provincial strategic communications unit led the communications during the incident and in the weeks and months following, until the completion of the investigation in December 2020. Our focus centred on the victims and the families, the public and our people. I have participated in and respect the work under way by the Mass Casualty Commission, having engaged honestly and wholeheartedly in two separate interviews and again on June 9 of this year at my appearance at the inquiry.
I also respect the work of the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security, and I'm here in person prepared to answer questions in relation to my experience, and specifically the following: a phone call and email correspondence hours before the press conference on April 28, 2020; a phone call I received after the press conference; a subsequent meeting I attended called by Deputy Brennan on behalf of Commissioner Lucki on the evening of April 20, 2020; a letter I wrote to Commissioner Lucki on April 14, 2021, within days of the one-year anniversary of the tragedy; and any other relevant emails or notes I have, as I've taken much time reviewing the material produced during this period.
I look forward to answering your questions. Thank you very much for having me.