Public Safety

Question period touched on two public safety matters. A Conservative member said activists have set up a checkpoint on a public highway in Manitoba that is turning away licensed hunters, noting the province has sent a cease and desist letter while the RCMP says it awaits direction, and asked the government to enforce the law; the parliamentary secretary replied that the RCMP has operational jurisdiction under contract with Manitoba and is trusted to decide what action to take. A second Conservative member said constituents in the gun buyback program were told to ship firearms by courier by October 17, but Purolator, FedEx and UPS all refuse such shipments, and asked the minister to explain and end the program; the secretary replied that most gun owners report the process is going well and invited the member to raise specific cases with the ministry so they can be fixed.Written by AI from the debate. Updated .

Official text (opens in a new tab)

4 statements

Branden Leslie, Portage—Lisgar

Conservative
“Activists have set up an illegal checkpoint on a public highway in Manitoba and are turning away legal hunters. A public road is not a private driveway. I want the government to enforce the law and stop this checkpoint.”
Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, last year, a group of community activists told a Manitoba court that licensed hunters could pass its checkpoint, yet this fall, hunters are once again being turned away. The province has issued a cease and desist letter, while the RCMP says it is still waiting for direction. A public highway is not a private driveway. Hunters have legal authority to hunt during hunting season and legally issued hunting licences cannot be overruled at a roadside checkpoint. Will the Minister of Public Safety stand up for law-abiding hunters or will the Liberal government stand by while an illegal roadside checkpoint decides who can and cannot use a public highway or hunt on Crown land?

Jacques Ramsay, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety

Liberal
“The RCMP is in charge of this matter in Manitoba, not the government. I trust them to do their job and decide what action to take.”
Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, I would like to remind the House that it is the RCMP that has operational jurisdiction for this matter and it is contracted by the Province of Manitoba. I have every confidence that it will be able to fulfill its duties in the correct way. It is up to the RCMP to decide what action should be taken.

Alex Ruff, Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound

Conservative
“The government told gun owners to ship their guns using couriers that will not ship them. The minister needs to explain this mistake. The government should stop targeting law-abiding gun owners and end this program.”
Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, since October 1, I have multiple constituents receiving notice from the Liberal government’s gun-grab program that they must ship their firearms to the government via Purolator, FedEx or UPS by October 17 in order to receive compensation. All three couriers have refused as they restrict shipping of firearms without prior approval. Did the public safety minister even consider this requirement or is this just a way for the Liberals to keep costs down on this multi-billion-dollar boondoggle? When will the government end its attacks on law-abiding, vetted and licensed firearms owners?

Jacques Ramsay, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety

Liberal

Linked statement

“Most gun owners say this gun buyback program is working well. If the member knows of specific problems, he should tell us so we can fix them. We will make sure this program works.”
Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, the reports we have from most gun owners is that the procedure is going well. If the member has heard about any specific cases where it is not working, I would invite him to connect with me or with our ministry, and we will make sure it works. We will make every effort to make sure this program works. This is our promise.

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