There are fears amendments to Bill C-21 would ban guns used for hunting.  (File Photo/980 CJME)

By Doug Lett

Vidal gun control

Northern MP getting earful on gun control proposals

Dec 9, 2022 | 2:00 PM

A northern Saskatchewan MP said he is getting a plethora of calls from constituents about the federal government’s proposal to expand the number of guns banned under Bill C-21.

“This is a big deal to a lot of people,” said Conservative MP Gary Vidal, whose riding of Desnethe-Missinippi-Churchill River covers the northern half of the province.

“It’s a way of life for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people,” said Vidal. “And really, from a perspective of food security and affordability, we’re dealing with an inflation crisis, and now our federal government is going to attack the ability of many people to create their own food sustainability.”

Vidal said a lot of people in the north hunt to put food on the table.

“They feed themselves, they feed elders, they feed seniors, they feed relatives, and this is an attack on that way of life, and so yes we’re hearing a lot of this from many, many people in northern Saskatchewan.”

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His comments come during a week when the issue caught fire politically. Both the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) and Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) have announced they oppose the amendments to Bill C-21 because they see it as an attack on the treaty right to hunt.

The Liberal MP for the Yukon also said he is opposed to the legislation in its current form, as has NDP MP Charlie Angus.

In late November the federal government slipped in over 400 pages of amendments to Bill C-21 that would expand the list of firearms Canadians are not allowed to have.

Critics point out the legislation would ban basic hunting rifles like the Weatherby Mark V, which is a bolt action rifle, or the Ruger No. 1, which is a single-shot rifle that has to be reloaded after every shot.

However, at a parliamentary Public Safety Committee meeting on Tuesday, Murray Smith, a specialist with the RCMP’s Canadian Firearms Program, said the ban would only apply to versions of the rifles chambered in very heavy calibres, like those used for big game in Africa. He said the cutoff is a muzzle energy of 10,000 joules or more.

“There are lots of calibres available, and lots of calibres in common use, which are nowhere near as energetic as 10,000 joules,” he said. “The majority of Weatherby Mark V rifles are non-restricted.”

But MP’s have complained the proposals are complex and confusing, based on a variety of factors like muzzle energy, bore diameter, and barrel length. On Thursday, seven members of the Public Safety Committee sent a letter calling for additional meetings with more witnesses to clear up confusion over the bill.

“We believe it is in the public interest to untangle and clarify the impacts of this amendment to Bill C-21 and the future of firearms in this country,” the letter said.

Vidal said the gun bill is one of the hottest issues in his vast riding.

“We’re getting a lot. This is a really big deal in northern communities,” he said.

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doug.lett@pattisonmedia.com