ANALYSIS OF CPC LEADERSHIP CANDIDATE’S FIREARM POLICY STATEMENTS
Analysis of CPC Leadership Candidate’s Firearm Policy Statements
This is a lengthy and detailed evaluation of the firearm policy statements made by each candidate in the Conservative Party’s leadership race.
KEY POINTS & DETAILED ANALYSIS – Published May 11, 2020 by Christopher di Armani
• Dr. Leslyn Lewis
• Derek Sloan
• Erin O’Toole
• Peter MacKay
CANADA’S FOUR MAJOR ADVOCACY GROUPS CALL FOR BILL BLAIR’S RESIGNATION
On Saturday, May 2, 2020, Canada’s four largest pro-firearm advocacy groups joined together to call for the resignation of Canada’s Minister of Public Safety, Bill Blair. During a briefing on the Liberal gun ban, officials from Public Safety, CBSA, Global Affairs, RCMP and the Department of Justice could not provide a working definition of the firearms placed on the “banned” list and they all displayed a shocking ignorance of current laws. The full statements from all four groups are listed below:
CANADIAN SHOOTING SPORTS ASSOCIATION
CANADIAN SPORTING ARMS AND AMMUNITION ASSOCIATION
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FIREARMS REGULATORY CHANGES, MAY 1, 2020
CANADA GAZETTE PART II – OTTAWA, FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2020 – EXTRA VOL. 154, NO. 3
Firearms and Other Weapons, Components and Parts of Weapons, Accessories, Cartridge Magazines, Ammunition and Projectiles as Prohibited, Restricted or Non-Restricted . Regulations Amending the Regulations Prescribing Certain Firearms and Other Weapons, Components and Parts of Weapons, Accessories, Cartridge Magazines, Ammunition and Projectiles as Prohibited, Restricted or Non-Restricted. AMENDMENTS
YET ANOTHER PROBLEM EMERGES IN THE LIBERAL FIREARMS PLAN
GUNTER: Yet another problem emerges in the Liberal firearms plan
EXCERPT: It is standard in Canada if you have been convicted of a violent crime, are a registered sex offender, have ever been designated a dangerous offender, are on probation or parole, are subject to a restraining order or peace bond, have been ordered deported or barred from hunting, you lose your ability to buy or possess guns. That makes sense. But as Young points out, the federal government and the RCMP make no effort to keep track of people who have been banned. One of the hoops for legit owners is they report to police any change of address within 30 days or face up to two years in prison. By Lorne Gunter, Toronto Sun – April 18, 2020 https://dennisryoung.ca/2020/04/19/yet-another-problem-emerges-in-the-liberal-firearms-plan/
TONY BERNARDO COMMENT: “Thank you Mr. Gunter. Another missive of resounding common sense. When a government – under the guise of crime control – places lawful citizens under this type of intrusive scrutiny while giving a free ride to proven criminals, any sensible person must question the true motives of government.” 26 Thumbs Up on April 19th
CSSA POSITION STATEMENT ON FIREARM PROHIBITION ORDERS
People, not objects, commit crime. While many groups campaign against legal guns and legal gun ownership, we know firearms are harmless unless a person with evil intent picks it up and uses it to commit an evil act. That’s why we’re pushing the government to strictly monitor over 443,000 people courts deem too dangerous to possess guns, not the 2.2 million people who the RCMP investigated and deemed trustworthy of firearm ownership. CSSA SPECIAL REPORT – DECEMBER 4, 2019
PREMIER’S OFFICE ORDERED TO SEND RECORDS ON HIGH RIVER FORCED ENTRIES
REQUEST FOR REVIEW: “The Office of the Premier/Alberta Executive Council is to send the records at issue on or before April 14, 2020 to my Calgary Office:”
Alberta Information Commissioner Letter to Premier and Dennis R. Young dated March 23, 2020 – Premier’s Office FOIP File: 2019-G-0062
JUNE 21, 2019 – LETTER TO PREMIER KENNEY ON HIGH RIVER FORCED ENTRIES
Lifting the Veil of Secrecy on High River Forced Entries in 2013 Flood – Letter by Dennis R. Young
VIDEO: JASON KENNEY ON HIGH RIVER FORCED ENTRIES, PROPERTY RIGHTS & GUNS
“Outrageous violation of property rights and personal privacy,” Jason Kenney, October 10, 2017
CALGARY PUBLIC SAFETY TASK FORCE: TERMS OF REFERENCE
Briefing to Combined Meeting of Council: Public Safety Task Force – March 16, 2020
Question #1: Has Councillor Chahal abandoned his support for a ban on handguns?
Question #2: Is there room for a representative from the Firearms Community on the Membership List?
CBC – CALGARY COUNCILLOR PLANS MOTION TO BAN HANDGUNS IN CITY
Chahal said there have been over 60 shootings in Calgary this year — many of them in his ward — and said he supported a national handgun ban. “This is a crisis facing our communities across this country. We have to tackle all aspects of this issue, and that means we have to go eliminate these from use,” Chahal said. As part of their platform, the Liberals have said they would give local governments the ability to “further restrict” or ban handguns. By Joel Dryden · CBC News · Posted: Oct 03, 2019
COUNCILLOR GEORGE CHAHAL WANTS TO LOOK AT POSSIBLE MOTION TO BAN HANDGUNS IN CALGARY
CALGARY—A Calgary city councillor who has been outspoken about gun violence in the past says he might bring forward a motion to ban handguns in the city.
By Amy Tucker, Star Calgary – Thu., Oct. 3, 2019 EXCERPT: Chahal said he acknowledges responsible gun owners “bear unnecessary scrutiny,” and added he thinks gun control policies should also focus on cracking down on illicit gun sales and cross-border smuggling. His motion, still being drafted, would be contingent on changes at the federal level and thus wouldn’t be brought forward until after the Oct. 21 federal election. Chahal made the announcement alongside Kent Hehr, the Liberal candidate in the Calgary Centre riding, and Josh Ng-Kamstra, a doctor representing Canadian Doctors for Protection From Guns.
RISING GUN VIOLENCE PROMPTS CALL FOR ACTION FROM NORTHEAST COUNCILLOR
By ZACH LAING zlaing@postmedia.com Updated: October 4, 2019
EXCERPT: While Chahal said he supports a ban on handguns — a measure municipalities would be allowed to introduce under a proposal by the federal Liberal party — he also realizes that many gun owners are law-abiding citizens. “There’s responsible gun owners in rural communities who have guns on their family farms, they’re hunters, nobody is talking about taking away their guns and we shouldn’t be,” he said. “We’re talking about handguns that are in our communities, in urban centres like the city of Calgary, in northeast Calgary, in downtown Toronto or in Montreal. “We also have to go after the criminals who smuggle these guns, the manufacturers who are producing them and getting them into our cities and the distribution of them, (we) need tougher penalties . . . and ensure that nobody gets off to the slap on the wrist.”
REPRESENTATION FROM THE FIREARMS COMMUNITY ON PUBLIC SAFETY TASK FORCE?
Letter to Calgary Councillor George Chahal from Dennis R. Young – January 19, 2020. NOTE: No acknowledgment or response as of March 13, 2020
CHAHAL: PUBLIC SAFETY TASK FORCE WILL GET TO THE HEART OF VIOLENCE CRISIS
Engaging all stakeholders is critical and will provide the necessary context to these complicated issues. A broad spectrum of stakeholders, such as government officials, police officers, convicted offenders, victims, faith groups, cultural communities, mental health specialists and concerned residents will be involved and engaged. Gun control advocates need to converse with law-abiding gun owners to find common ground. We need to acknowledge that Calgarians are complicit when we turn away and ignore criminal activity. CALGARY HERALD Updated: February 3, 2020
NO RECORDS TO SUPPORT MINISTER BLAIR’S STATEMENT ON GUN BUY-BACK PLAN
PUBLIC SAFETY CANADA HAS NO RECORDS TO SUPPORT MINISTER BLAIR’S STATEMENT ON GUN BUY-BACK PLAN
Department unable to provide the places the Minister visited and the number of gun owners he talked to.
Public Safety Canada’s response to Access to Information Act request File: A-2019-00322 dated March 2, 2020 – By Dennis R. Young – March 4, 2020
Here are the key stakeholders that Minister Blair did NOT talk to about his Buy-Back plan.
• Sheldon Clare, NFA President
• Blair Hagen, NFA Executive VP Communication
• Tony Bernardo, Executive Director, CSSA
• Nicolas Johnson, The Gun Blog
• Guy Morin, President of Everyone Against a Quebec Gun Registry
• Gary Mauser, Professor Emeritus, SFU
• Alison de Groot, Managing Director, Canadian Sporting Arms and Ammunition Association (CSAAA)
BLAIR TELLS IPOLITICS CONFISCATION NEEDS NEW LAW, TWO YEARS AWAY – TheGunBlog.ca — 10 Dec 2019
EXCERPT: Immediate vs. Delayed Confiscation: The minister told iPolitics he heard from some gun owners that they preferred immediate confiscation with a payoff, rather than confiscation after death sometimes called “grandfathering.” TheGunBlog.ca couldn’t find any mention of that preference in a comprehensive report on Blair’s confiscation consultations last year.
ALBERTA RCMP: PEACE OFFICER AUTHORITIES – STATE OF LOCAL EMERGENCY
Attached is the latest response from the RCMP regarding the legal advice the RCMP requested of the Dept. of Justice with respect to the High River Forced Entries. It only took two years and they only searched for records in Alberta – not in RCMP HQ in Ottawa as I asked. I’ll be lodging another complaint with the Information Commissioner if they don’t agree to complete the search for record as I requested. RCMP response to Access to Information Act File: A-2016-09452 dated February 7, 2020 received by Dennis R. Young February 12, 2020
Note this paper was written by Peter Mackenzie, Alberta Justice/Specialized Prosecutions. This is the same official who wrote the four-page legal authorities paper requested by Alberta Justice Minister Jonathan Denis on June 25, 2013 – the paper successive Alberta Governments (PC, NDP & UCP) have refused to release – first denying its existence and then withholding it completely citing Solicitor-Client Privilege. The Alberta Information Commissioner has approved to hold an inquiry into the government’s withholding of this record.
ALBERTA INFORMATION COMMISSIONER APPROVES INQUIRY TO OBTAIN HIGH RIVER RCMP FORCED ENTRIES ‘LEGAL AUTHORITIES PAPER’
Letter from Jill Clayton dated October 8, 2019 – Received by Dennis R. Young October 15, 2019
SUMMARY OF CHARTER RIGHTS VIOLATIONS BY RCMP IN HIGH RIVER STILL HIDDEN FROM THE PUBLIC, ALBERTA LEGISLATURE & PARLIAMENT
Trust in the RCMP cannot be rebuilt by covering up the truth! By Dennis R. Young – October 22, 2018
FIREARMS MARKING REGS: FINAL ATIP RESPONSE FROM PUBLIC SAFETY
FIREARMS MARKING REGS: FINAL ATIP RESPONSE FROM PUBLIC SAFETY
• Undated ‘Secret’ Memorandum to the Minister – Three pages with 3 redacted sections
• Undated ‘Secret’ Memorandum to the Associate Deputy Minister – Three pages with 1 redacted section
• Undated ‘Secret’ Key Messages – Three pages with 1 redacted section
• 20 more pages of ‘Cabinet Secrets’ withheld pursuant to Section 69 of the Access to Information Act
Public Safety Canada Final Response Access to Information Act File -A2018-00327 dated February 7, 2020
PUBLIC SAFETY INTERIM RESPONSE FIREARMS MARKING REGS
175-Page Interim Response to Access to Information Request File: A-2018-00327 dated July 8, 2019 – Received July 17, 2019 by Dennis R. Young
NOTE: 200 pages of ‘Cabinet Secrets’ withheld pursuant to Section 69 of the Access to Information Act
FIREARMS MARKING REGULATIONS TAKE EFFECT DEC. 1, 2020
TheGunBlog.ca — The Canadian government will require guns to be marked in a way that links them to their owners for police tracing, raising concern of a new registration system that violates privacy and eases future bans. The new system will revamp the UN-inspired Firearms Marking Regulations and take effect Dec. 1, 2020, the Ministry of Public Safety said in today’s Canada Gazette. THEGUNBLOG.CA – NOVEMBER 18, 2018