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Ottawa plans to launch controversial firearms buyback program during election year – CBC.ca

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Ottawa is planning to roll out a mandatory buyback program for military-style firearms during the 2025 election year, after the program was delayed by Canada Post’s refusal to participate, sources say.

With only months to go before its launch, details of the vast logistical operation remain in flux, federal officials have told Radio-Canada.

The government likely will need to adapt the program on a province-by-province basis, due to its struggle to find partners willing to collect and transport AR-15s and other weapons that were banned in 2020.

Under the terms of that ban, an estimated 140,000 weapons in Canada cannot be used or sold until the government buys them back.

“No one is rushing to participate in the program,” said a federal government source who was not authorized to comment on the matter publicly.

The Liberals are planning to launch the program next year, even though their minority government will face confidence votes on its spring budget and the election must be called by September.

The Conservative Party and its leader Pierre Poilievre are firmly opposed to the buyback program, as are the governments of Alberta and Saskatchewan.

One expert said the government is leaving itself little room to manoeuvre, given the risk of logistical problems, high costs and tensions with gun owners.

“The government will be facing problems that could slow down the implementation of the buyback program. It’s a risky move for the Liberals,” said Frédéric Boily, professor of political science at the University of Alberta.

An Alberta flag and a pro-firearms flag are displayed outside a rural residence near Crossfield, Alta., Tuesday, June 13, 2023. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press)

Ottawa has been promising to launch this program ever since it banned the sale and use of 1,500 models of firearms on May 1, 2020. The buyback plan has the support of the gun control movement but faces stiff opposition from hunters and shooters.

“This seems to be a situation in which the Liberals promised a lot, and maybe they promised too much,” said Boily.

The government had to go back to the drawing board after Canada Post refused to collect banned weapons at its post offices, citing security concerns.

Canada Post is refusing to comment on the matter but sources within the organization said many post offices have little security, with no alarm systems or surveillance cameras.

“Zero,” said a Canada Post employee when asked to describe security at his post office in a small municipality. “The government is crazy if it thinks we can do this safely.”

A small rural post office in Quebec's Laurentians region.
A small rural post office in Quebec’s Laurentians region. (Philippe-Antoine Saulnier/Radio-Canada)

Ottawa was hoping gun owners would pack their unloaded weapons in boxes provided to them before bringing them back to Canada Post to be transported and destroyed.

But many warned that thieves would exploit lax security at post offices to steal high-powered weapons that fetch high prices on the black market.

Canada Post also worried about employees being exposed to angry confrontations with people who do not want to give up their guns.

In a media statement, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers said “our members’ health and safety must be a priority.”

Several government sources say Ottawa is still considering options to collect the banned weapons.

Ottawa might ask police for help with buyback program

Sources said Ottawa could vary how it runs the program regionally, depending on the willingness of provincial governments and local police to participate.

The government is looking at the possibility of working with law enforcement to collect weapons, despite the stated opposition to the program of some police groups and police chiefs. The provincial police services in Quebec and Ontario could be called upon to take part, said a federal source.

Sources also said the government is aware that using police officers to operate the buyback program is not the most effective use of policing resources; the federal government is considering the idea of ​​hiring private security firms.

The government is also considering creating “drop-off points” where owners could return their weapons.

A gun is displayed after being destroyed using a hydraulic press during a firearm buy-back collection event on July 04, 2019 in Wellington, New Zealand.
A gun is displayed after being destroyed using a hydraulic press during a firearm buy-back collection event on July 04, 2019 in Wellington, New Zealand. (Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)

In New Zealand, where a semi-automatic buyback program was implemented in 2019, police organized hundreds of temporary collection points across the country where citizens could return their banned rifles.

Even though the government is reluctant to force Canada Post’s hand, sources said Ottawa still hopes the Crown corporation can be convinced to participate.

There are approximately 50,000 banned firearms in Alberta that will be hard to recover.

“No one wants to be involved in this program because it is so unpopular,” said Teri Bryant, Alberta’s chief firearms officer. “I don’t see any way it can be done.”

The Liberals promised in both the 2019 and 2021 elections to buy back assault or military-style weapons. Its credibility on gun control could be damaged if it does not launch its buyback program by the next election.

A candle, rose and white ribbon at a vigil on the 30th anniversary of the 1989 École Polytechnique tragedy Friday, Dec. 6, 2019 in Ottawa.
A candle, rose and white ribbon at a vigil on the 30th anniversary of the 1989 École Polytechnique tragedy on Friday, Dec. 6, 2019 in Ottawa. (CBC)

A survivor of the 1989 gun massacre at the École Polytechnique in Montreal said she wants the program to be in place in time for the next anniversary commemoration.

“You know, in December, it will be the 35th anniversary of the events at Polytechnique. For us, it is necessary for the buyback program to be in place and active,” said Nathalie Provost of the PolyRemembers group, which lobbies for tougher gun control in Canada.

Federal Liberals in Quebec, in particular, want the government to do everything in its power to fulfil its promise before the next election, sources said.

“There are progressive votes that we need,” said a Liberal source. “It’s going to happen.”

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‘Disgraceful:’ N.S. Tory leader slams school’s request that military remove uniform

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HALIFAX – Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston says it’s “disgraceful and demeaning” that a Halifax-area school would request that service members not wear military uniforms to its Remembrance Day ceremony.

Houston’s comments were part of a chorus of criticism levelled at the school — Sackville Heights Elementary — whose administration decided to back away from the plan after the outcry.

A November newsletter from the school in Middle Sackville, N.S., invited Armed Forces members to attend its ceremony but asked that all attendees arrive in civilian attire to “maintain a welcoming environment for all.”

Houston, who is currently running for re-election, accused the school’s leaders of “disgracing themselves while demeaning the people who protect our country” in a post on the social media platform X Thursday night.

“If the people behind this decision had a shred of the courage that our veterans have, this cowardly and insulting idea would have been rejected immediately,” Houston’s post read. There were also several calls for resignations within the school’s administration attached to Houston’s post.

In an email to families Thursday night, the school’s principal, Rachael Webster, apologized and welcomed military family members to attend “in the attire that makes them most comfortable.”

“I recognize this request has caused harm and I am deeply sorry,” Webster’s email read, adding later that the school has the “utmost respect for what the uniform represents.”

Webster said the initial request was out of concern for some students who come from countries experiencing conflict and who she said expressed discomfort with images of war, including military uniforms.

Her email said any students who have concerns about seeing Armed Forces members in uniform can be accommodated in a way that makes them feel safe, but she provided no further details in the message.

Webster did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

At a news conference Friday, Houston said he’s glad the initial request was reversed but said he is still concerned.

“I can’t actually fathom how a decision like that was made,” Houston told reporters Friday, adding that he grew up moving between military bases around the country while his father was in the Armed Forces.

“My story of growing up in a military family is not unique in our province. The tradition of service is something so many of us share,” he said.

“Saying ‘lest we forget’ is a solemn promise to the fallen. It’s our commitment to those that continue to serve and our commitment that we will pass on our respects to the next generation.”

Liberal Leader Zach Churchill also said he’s happy with the school’s decision to allow uniformed Armed Forces members to attend the ceremony, but he said he didn’t think it was fair to question the intentions of those behind the original decision.

“We need to have them (uniforms) on display at Remembrance Day,” he said. “Not only are we celebrating (veterans) … we’re also commemorating our dead who gave the greatest sacrifice for our country and for the freedoms we have.”

NDP Leader Claudia Chender said that while Remembrance Day is an important occasion to honour veterans and current service members’ sacrifices, she said she hopes Houston wasn’t taking advantage of the decision to “play politics with this solemn occasion for his own political gain.”

“I hope Tim Houston reached out to the principal of the school before making a public statement,” she said in a statement.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Saskatchewan NDP’s Beck holds first caucus meeting after election, outlines plans

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REGINA – Saskatchewan Opposition NDP Leader Carla Beck says she wants to prove to residents her party is the government in waiting as she heads into the incoming legislative session.

Beck held her first caucus meeting with 27 members, nearly double than what she had before the Oct. 28 election but short of the 31 required to form a majority in the 61-seat legislature.

She says her priorities will be health care and cost-of-living issues.

Beck says people need affordability help right now and will press Premier Scott Moe’s Saskatchewan Party government to cut the gas tax and the provincial sales tax on children’s clothing and some grocery items.

Beck’s NDP is Saskatchewan’s largest Opposition in nearly two decades after sweeping Regina and winning all but one seat in Saskatoon.

The Saskatchewan Party won 34 seats, retaining its hold on all of the rural ridings and smaller cities.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Nova Scotia election: Liberals say province’s immigration levels are too high

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HALIFAX – Nova Scotia‘s growing population was the subject of debate on Day 12 of the provincial election campaign, with Liberal Leader Zach Churchill arguing immigration levels must be reduced until the province can provide enough housing and health-care services.

Churchill said Thursday a plan by the incumbent Progressive Conservatives to double the province’s population to two million people by the year 2060 is unrealistic and unsustainable.

“That’s a big leap and it’s making life harder for people who live here, (including ) young people looking for a place to live and seniors looking to downsize,” he told a news conference at his campaign headquarters in Halifax.

Anticipating that his call for less immigration might provoke protests from the immigrant community, Churchill was careful to note that he is among the third generation of a family that moved to Nova Scotia from Lebanon.

“I know the value of immigration, the importance of it to our province. We have been built on the backs of an immigrant population. But we just need to do it in a responsible way.”

The Liberal leader said Tim Houston’s Tories, who are seeking a second term in office, have made a mistake by exceeding immigration targets set by the province’s Department of Labour and Immigration. Churchill said a Liberal government would abide by the department’s targets.

In the most recent fiscal year, the government welcomed almost 12,000 immigrants through its nominee program, exceeding the department’s limit by more than 4,000, he said. The numbers aren’t huge, but the increase won’t help ease the province’s shortages in housing and doctors, and the increased strain on its infrastructure, including roads, schools and cellphone networks, Churchill said.

“(The Immigration Department) has done the hard work on this,” he said. “They know where the labour gaps are, and they know what growth is sustainable.”

In response, Houston said his commitment to double the population was a “stretch goal.” And he said the province had long struggled with a declining population before that trend was recently reversed.

“The only immigration that can come into this province at this time is if they are a skilled trade worker or a health-care worker,” Houston said. “The population has grown by two per cent a year, actually quite similar growth to what we experienced under the Liberal government before us.”

Still, Houston said he’s heard Nova Scotians’ concerns about population growth, and he then pivoted to criticize Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for trying to send 6,000 asylum seekers to Nova Scotia, an assertion the federal government has denied.

Churchill said Houston’s claim about asylum seekers was shameful.

“It’s smoke and mirrors,” the Liberal leader said. “He is overshooting his own department’s numbers for sustainable population growth and yet he is trying to blame this on asylum seekers … who aren’t even here.”

In September, federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller said there is no plan to send any asylum seekers to the province without compensation or the consent of the premier. He said the 6,000 number was an “aspirational” figure based on models that reflect each province’s population.

In Halifax, NDP Leader Claudia Chender said it’s clear Nova Scotia needs more doctors, nurses and skilled trades people.

“Immigration has been and always will be a part of the Nova Scotia story, but we need to build as we grow,” Chender said. “This is why we have been pushing the Houston government to build more affordable housing.”

Chender was in a Halifax cafe on Thursday when she promised her party would remove the province’s portion of the harmonized sales tax from all grocery, cellphone and internet bills if elected to govern on Nov. 26. The tax would also be removed from the sale and installation of heat pumps.

“Our focus is on helping people to afford their lives,” Chender told reporters. “We know there are certain things that you can’t live without: food, internet and a phone …. So we know this will have the single biggest impact.”

The party estimates the measure would save the average Nova Scotia family about $1,300 a year.

“That’s a lot more than a one or two per cent HST cut,” Chender said, referring to the Progressive Conservative pledge to reduce the tax by one percentage point and the Liberal promise to trim it by two percentage points.

Elsewhere on the campaign trail, Houston announced that a Progressive Conservative government would make parking free at all Nova Scotia hospitals and health-care centres. The promise was also made by the Liberals in their election platform released Monday.

“Free parking may not seem like a big deal to some, but … the parking, especially for people working at the facilities, can add up to hundreds of dollars,” the premier told a news conference at his campaign headquarters in Halifax.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.

— With files from Keith Doucette in Halifax

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