Alberta Justice Minister Tyler Shandro says the federal government is withholding information about a recent federal-provincial meeting because four provinces opposed a federal initiative.
Federal public safety and justice ministers met with their provincial and territorial counterparts three weeks ago.
“Typically, meetings conclude with a communiqué summarizing the meeting discussions and decisions,” Shandro said in a statement.
“The federal government has now informed the provinces and territories that, due to ‘lack of consensus on language,’ they decided against releasing the communiqué.”
Shandro said the language disagreement centred on Alberta’s request that provinces opposed to taking police officers off the street to confiscate firearms be listed by name in the communiqué.
The federal government wants the provinces to allocate RCMP officers to serve as gun confiscation officers.
But Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and New Brunswick have all said they don’t want their provincial police resources being used to aid the Trudeau Liberals gun grab scheme.
Last month, Liberal Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said Alberta was being “reckless” for defying the order.
Shandro said Thursday that the government’s unilateral decision to cease discussions on the release of the joint communiqué undermines the ability of Canadians to learn about key justice and public safety initiatives ministers discussed.
“Noting a province opposed to a particular federal initiative in the body of a communiqué is a courtesy routinely extended to Quebec. Apparently, a lack of consensus for the same courtesy to be extended to other provinces and territories was enough for the federal government to decline to issue a communiqué,” he said.
“Alberta has asked over and over again to be treated as an equal partner in Confederation, on par with Quebec. The federal government made it clear that it is unwilling and disinterested in even taking a small step in that direction.”
