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Government of Alberta continues to lobby against Bill C-21

Lawsuits will be heard from April 11 to April 20, and the province will submit its written argument in early February. 
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LAKELAND – The provincial government and other Albertans continue to speak out against the federal government’s actions regarding the potential banning of a lengthy list of firearms.  

The province will intervene in six ongoing lawsuits against the federal legislation banning more than 1,500 models of firearms. 

The federal government’s Bill C-21 aims to improve gun control across Canada, which includes a national handgun freeze and the banning of over 1,500 models of firearms. A November 2022 proposed amendment to the bill that could ban some hunting rifles and shotguns is being debated in Ottawa. 

RELATED: Bill C-21 is dividing the country, says Shandro 

In September of last year, Minister of Justice and Attorney General Tyler Shandro announced the provincial government would intervene in lawsuits about the “constitutional and non-constitutional" legal issues in relation to the federal firearms ban. 

Provinces are automatically able to intervene on constitutional issues, while Alberta was granted the ability to intervene on non-constitutional issues on Jan. 11. 

"The federal firearms ban criminalizes hundreds of thousands of law-abiding Canadians who are in possession of firearms that the federal government has arbitrarily banned – simply because the 'style' of the firearm was deemed to be aesthetically displeasing by bureaucrats in Public Safety Canada," Shandro said in a Jan. 12 news release. 

The lawsuits will be heard from April 11 to April 20, and the province will submit its written argument in early February. 

“The federal government’s legislative amendments would result in responsible firearms owners losing their property without improving public safety,” said Teri Bryant, Alberta’s chief firearms officer, in the same news release. “I have urged the federal government to reconsider these amendments and will continue to advocate for laws that protect both public safety and property rights.” 

Federal confiscation program 

Shandro also released a Jan. 10 statement on the federal government’s mandatory buyback program. 

According to information from Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), the intent of the buyback program is to “safely buy back” the over 1,500 models of assault-style firearms (ASFs) banned as of May 1, 2020, "while offering fair compensation to businesses and lawful owners impacted by the prohibition.” 

According to the information, PSPC is examining how to implement the buyback program, which includes potentially “contracting out specific activities.” 

Among the approaches being considered include a two-phase approach. The first phase involves a “pilot” on Prince Edward Island (PEI) as the “first point of collection based on the smaller number of firearms.” 

Shandro said in his statement that “the federal government was treating PEI as a ‘pilot’ that will help them learn on the job as they implement their confiscation plan through trial and error.” 

On Jan. 12, in response to a news report indicating that the federal government will no longer launch the pilot on PEI ahead of other provinces, Shandro tweeted that “just two days after [Minister of Public Safety of Canada Marco Mendicino’s] plans to use PEI as a training ground for their firearms confiscation program were exposed – the federal Liberals have already backed down.” 

Bill C-21 

Regarding Bill C-21 and the federal government’s attempt for gun control, Lakeland This Week also reached out to Bonnyville-Cold Lake-St. Paul MLA David Hanson for a statement. Hanson said, “All of the gun control is going to do nothing but harm lawful gun owners.” 

“There's no way that people that break the law anyway are going to pay attention to the new laws,” said Hanson. “They're not paying attention to the laws that exist right now.” 

“So, adding more laws is not going to make any difference when it comes to illegal gun handling.” 

Darryl Lotoski, owner of Warehouse Sports, a locally owned and operated shop for hunting and fishing gear and equipment located in St. Paul, also spoke to Lakeland This Week about Bill C-21. 

He said the federal government is “completely missing the ball” by going after law abiding gun owners rather than criminals. 

“We go through enough screening to get out licenses, and we’re not the ones causing the issue,” said Lotoski. “The criminals are still the criminals and they’re still going to get their guns – it absolutely makes no sense.” 

When asked about Bill C-21s effects on his business, he said that the federal government’s ban on handguns last year has already taken “a huge part of my business away.” He said if the legislation also bans hunting rifles, “I will be out of business.” 

Lotoski also said that rural areas are different from cities.  

“We need these tools to survive here... We need these tools to take care of our predators for our livestock... to hunt and to provide food for our families,” he said. “Most of these guys that are behind these [laws] have no clue on how it works in smaller communities across Canada.” 

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