Ottawa’s Gun Confiscation Program to Start in Prince Edward Island: Federal Memo

Ottawa has proposed the launch of its nationwide gun buyback program to start out in Prince Edward Island, based on a memo from the federal procurement division.

Launched by Public Companies and Procurement Canada (PSPC) on Dec. 29, the memo describes the “transition” of how firearms shall be confiscated from gun house owners within the nation’s smallest province, which based on the memo, has already commenced in December.

“Prince Edward Island (PE) shall be used as a pilot and would be the first level of assortment primarily based on the smaller variety of firearms,” stated the memo, titled “2022 Minister’s Transition Book 2: Core responsibility 1—Purchase of goods and services,” as first reported by Blacklock’s Reporter.

“Because of this, classes realized, gaps evaluation and danger evaluation would inform the part 2 nationwide roll-out.”

In line with the memo, part 2 of the nationwide roll-out is deliberate for spring 2023 as soon as an info expertise case administration system is in place.

“It will likely be carried out in collaboration with different authorities departments, provincial, municipal and territorial governments and potential Business companions,” the memo stated.

The division acknowledged there’s “very restricted curiosity from the trade” in supporting the buyback program first proposed three years in the past.

The Ban

In 2020, the Liberal authorities issued a ban on greater than 1,500 fashions of beforehand legally bought firearms. In October the federal government put a freeze on the switch and importation of handguns, which successfully bans handgun possession within the nation.

In late November, the federal government tabled sweeping last-minute amendments to Bill C-21, An Act to amend sure Acts and to make sure consequential amendments (firearms), which is currently being debated by the Commons public security committee.

If handed, the invoice will ban most semi-automatic shotguns and rifles—together with many ordinary searching shotguns and rifles bought legally. The proposed amendments would additionally ban any gun that may maintain a removable journal.

“The prohibition applies to all present and future firearm variants that meet the standards—now, over 1,800 firearms,” the memo stated. “These firearms can now not be legally used, offered, or imported.”

The Trudeau authorities had stated in September 2019 that the gun ban and buyback would price the nation $200 million. In June 2021, the Parliamentary Finances Workplace (PBO) estimated that the spending might go as excessive as $756 million, however warned particulars “stay unclear.”

“There stays too many excellent questions on how this program shall be carried out to at the moment develop an entire image of the true potential price of this system,” stated PBO’s “Cost Estimate of the Firearm Buyback Program” report.

The variety of affected firearms ranged broadly from 150,000 (knowledge obtained from the federal authorities) to as many as 518,000 (knowledge from the Canadian Sporting Arms and Ammunition Affiliation), the report added.

The first intent of the buyback program could be to soundly buyback these now prohibited firearms from society, whereas providing truthful compensation to companies and lawful house owners impacted by the prohibition,” stated the PSPC’s memo.

“PSPC is at the moment inspecting choices for implementation of the buyback program, together with the potential of contracting out particular actions.”

Push Again

The Liberals’ gun buyback program receives robust push again from a number of provinces.

On Dec. 15, Alberta’s Justice Minister Tyler Shandro wrote a letter to federal Justice Minister David Lametti, informing that the province is taking again jurisdiction on the dealing with of gun-related expenses from Ottawa.

“Albertans mustn’t robotically be thought of criminals as a result of they personal a firearm that was legally bought and possessed,” stated Shandro in a news release on the identical day.

“This new protocol for [Alberta’s Crown] prosecutors will assist stop in any other case law-abiding people from dealing with felony expenses and potential time in jail. On the identical time, legislation enforcement and prosecution assets might be prioritized for precise violent and repeat offenders whereas not additional clogging our already busy courts.”

The Saskatchewan authorities likewise launched The Saskatchewan Firearms Act to “defend the rights of lawful firearms house owners” on Dec. 1.

“This Act will assist tackle considerations of accountable firearms house owners and improve public security throughout Saskatchewan,” stated the province’s Corrections, Policing and Public Security Minister Christine Inform in a news release. “We take public security critically and assist initiatives that cut back the felony use of firearms, whereas stopping gang violence and stopping unlawful weapons from coming into our province.”

On Nov. 24, the 2 provinces, along with Manitoba, issued a joint release, to oppose the federal authorities’s last-minute amendments to Invoice C-21, which is able to additional “criminalize hunters, farmers and goal shooters.”

In October, New Brunswick joined forces with the Prairie Provinces in opposing using police for Ottawa’s gun confiscation program.” The Yukon Legislative Meeting also passed a motion in opposition to the measures in the identical month.

Ought to the nationwide roll-out be carried out, the RCMP’s “2020 Commissioner of Firearms Report” estimated that 6,464 licensed gun house owners in Prince Edward Island shall be affected.

The determine is comparably smaller than these in bigger provinces: Ontario (624,448), Quebec (486,406), Alberta (328,723), British Columbia (315,077), Saskatchewan (112,790), Manitoba (93,182), Newfoundland and Labrador (75,957), Nova Scotia (75,501), New Brunswick (70,425).

Licensed gun house owners that shall be impacted within the Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut, numbered 8,056, 5,961, and three,765, respectively.

Marnie Cathcart and Peter Wilson contributed to this report.

Isaac Teo is an Epoch Occasions reporter primarily based in Toronto.