Alberta’s United Conservative Party leadership candidate Danielle Smith says she applauds the Alberta government’s opposition to the federal gun grab — and that she would take the efforts a step further by seeking to bar all police from enforcing the program, if elected Premier next month.
The Government of Alberta announced Monday it sent instructions to the RCMP K-Division, the arm of the federal police force with authority in Alberta, to ignore direct orders from the federal Trudeau Government to confiscate firearms designated “assault-style” weapons by Ottawa.
Smith said she would use her Alberta Sovereignty Act to propose that the UCP caucus prohibits any enforcement by the RCMP and Alberta’s provincially regulated municipal police services “of this misguided and unconstitutional federal policy.”
“As an example, if we had the Sovereignty Act – we wouldn’t just request the RCMP not enforce the firearm program; we could legally prohibit enforcement of the program by the RCMP or any other police service in Alberta,” Smith said in a statement to The Counter Signal.
“Today’s announcement by Minister Shandro is a great start.”
In May 2020, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced he was banning more than 1,500 models of firearms, including AR-15s. Owners of these guns would have a two-year amnesty period to come into compliance with the prohibition, he said at the time.
The Liberals said they plan on spending up to $250 million buying back the guns.
In an announcement on Monday afternoon, Shandro said federal Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino asked the province to help confiscate 30,000 newly-restricted firearms beginning this fall.
The province rejected this request and ordered the RCMP not to follow the orders.
Smith said Shandro’s proposal is “closely aligned” with her proposed Alberta Sovereignty Act.
Smith has pitched the act as a means to bar any federal legislation deemed harmful to Alberta’s interests. It would give MLAs a free vote in the legislature about whether to refuse enforcement of any Federal Government action it deems to violate Alberta’s sovereign provincial jurisdictions.
“In this case, private property ownership (including firearms) is the purview of the provinces under the Constitution, and the Federal government has no right to intervene or interfere therein (unless a firearm is used criminally of course),” Smith wrote.
Trudeau issued a deadline of October 30 for any gun identified under his new ban to be turned over to the closest RCMP detachment.
The Government of Alberta also announced that it will be joining a lawsuit against Trudeau’s proposed gun grab. Over 2.2 million Canadians are legally licensed to own and trade firearms in the country.
Meanwhile, UCP members will elect a new leader and Premier on October 6.
