OTTAWA — Federal agencies are trying to boost efforts to trace the origins of guns used in crimes, but it appears jurisdictional hurdles could prevent the measures from going as far as some would like.
The federal government says the RCMP has introduced a new mandatory tracing policy, meaning that in places where the Mounties are the police of jurisdiction, seized illegal guns will automatically be sent to the force’s national firearms tracing centre.
The House of Commons public safety committee and the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police have called on the government to make it a requirement that all crime guns recovered during investigations by police across the country — not just the RCMP — be submitted for tracing.
The most recent figures indicate only a small fraction of the tens of thousands of crime guns recovered each year are being traced.
In a newly issued response to the public safety committee’s April report on reducing gun and gang violence, the government says tracing is a key tool to determine the sources of illicit firearms.
The RCMP’s national tracing centre tracks the movement of a gun from its manufacture or importation into Canada, through the hands of wholesalers and retailers, to pinpoint the last known lawful owner or business. The centre works with partners including the Firearms Analysis Tracing and Enforcement program in Ontario.
Tracing can also help determine whether a gun was smuggled into Canada or came from a domestic source.
Ottawa earmarked $15 million over five years, beginning in 2021-22, and $3.3 million ongoing, to increase the RCMP’s ability to trace firearms and identify movement patterns, as well as support development of a new national tracing database.
The federal centre traced more than 2,140 firearms in 2020, and the Commons committee was told the new funding could triple tracing capacity.
The money will also go toward persuading police of the strategic benefits of tracing to criminal investigations. The federal response adds the RCMP will be “actively supporting” the chiefs of police and partner agencies to advance the committee’s recommendation that all police agencies submit seized firearms for tracing.
But the government stops short of a pledge to make the tracing of all crime guns a requirement.
Asked about the government’s intentions, the office of Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said while the RCMP has a new mandatory tracing policy, “the issue of guns seized by other police services (falls) under provincial jurisdiction.”
In its July resolution calling for comprehensive tracing, the chiefs of police cited an absence of solid data for regions other than Ontario to help understand the pathways crime guns take, adding the effectiveness of tracing as a police intelligence tool “depends on the quality of information collected” and the appropriate followup investigations.
RCMP Deputy Commissioner Stephen White told the Commons committee “we would need to do more tracing on a larger scale to really get some very good insight of patterns and trends.”
Gun-control advocacy group PolySeSouvient said there is general consensus that crime guns need to be traced. “Unfortunately, there’s no comparable consensus regarding the tools needed to enable effective tracing.”
While tracing of smuggled guns usually starts with American manufacturers, tracking the ownership of weapons that originate in Canada requires sales records and universal registration, said the group, which includes students and graduates of Montreal’s Ecole Polytechnique, where 14 women were gunned down in 1989.
Canada had those measures until the Conservative government of Stephen Harper ended the federal long-gun registry and eliminated mandatory sales records, PolySeSouvient noted.
“While the Liberal government just recently reinstated commercial sales records, both the Conservatives and the Liberals are opposed to bringing back universal registration.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 23, 2022.
MONTREAL – One expert says entry-level pay under the tentative deal between Air Canada and its pilots could be a stumbling block ahead of a union vote on the agreement.
Under their current contract, pilots earn far less in their first four years at the company before enjoying a big wage increase starting in year five.
The Air Line Pilots Association had been pushing to scrap the so-called “fixed rate” provision entirely.
But according to a copy of the contract summary obtained by The Canadian Press, the proposed deal announced Sunday would merely cut the four-year period of lower pay to two years.
John Gradek, who teaches aviation management at McGill University, says as many as 2,000 of Air Canada’s roughly 5,200 active pilots may earn entry-level wages following a recent hiring surge.
After the airline averted a strike this week, Gradek says the failure to ditch the pay grade restrictions could prompt pushback from rank-and-file flight crew and jeopardize the deal, which is up for a vote next month.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2024.
ROME (AP) — Salvatore “Totò” Schillaci, the Italy striker who was top scorer at its home World Cup in 1990, has died. He was 59.
Schillaci had been hospitalized in Palermo following treatment for colon cancer.
The Palermo Civico hospital said in a statement that Schillacci died on Wednesday morning after being admitted 11 days ago.
Schillaci scored six goals for Italy during the 1990 World Cup. He came on as a substitute during Italy’s opener against Austria, scored in a 1-0 victory, and went on to earn the Golden Boot awarded to the tournament’s top scorer. He only scored one other goal for Italy in his career.
Italian soccer federation president Gabriele Gravina announced that a minute of silence would be held in memory of Schillaci before all games in the country for the rest of the week.
“The uncontrollable celebrations, in which his face was the symbol of shared joy, will remain forever part of Italian soccer (history),” Gravina said. “Totò was a great player, a symbol of tenacious desire and redemption. … His soccer was full of passion. And that fearless spirit made everyone appreciate him and will make him immortal.”
Schillaci also won the Golden Ball award at the 1990 World Cup as the tournament’s top player ahead of Lothar Matthaus and Diego Maradona.
Schillaci played for Messina, Juventus, Inter Milan and Japanese team Jubilo Iwata during his club career.
“You made an entire nation dream during the Magical Nights of Italia ’90,” Inter said on its social media channels.
West Germany won the 1990 World Cup, beating Argentina in the final, while Italy beat England for third place with a winning penalty kick from Schillaci.
Roberto Baggio, who scored Italy’s opening goal in the third-place match, wrote on Instagram, “Ciao my dear friend.”
Having been born and raised in Palermo, the Palermo soccer team announced that it would hold a public viewing of Schillaci at its Renzo Barbera stadium ahead of the funeral, the Gazzetta dello Sport reported.
French soccer player Wissam Ben Yedder will stay free ahead of his trial on charges of sexual assault while intoxicated, one of his lawyers told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
Marie Roumiantseva said Ben Yedder will remain under strict judicial supervision after a woman filed a lawsuit for sexual assault earlier this month.
The 34-year-old Ben Yedder, a prolific striker in the French league, was briefly detained then released after the alleged incident in his car on the French Riviera. Ben Yedder had been stopped by police after he first refused to do so. He was then put in a jail cell.
After he was summoned to appear in court on Oct. 15 and placed under judicial supervision, the Nice prosecutor’s office appealed the decision not to remand the player in custody. The investigative chamber of the Court of Appeal of Aix-en-Provence did not grant this request and kept Ben Yedder under judicial supervision.
Ben Yedder attended a hearing Tuesday during which he offered to go to rehab. He has admitted he drove while under the influence of alcohol but has denied any sexual assault.
In a separate legal case last year, Ben Yedder was charged with “rape, attempted rape and sexual assault” over another alleged incident in the south of France.
Ben Yedder has been without a club since his contract with Monaco expired at the end of last season.
