Trudeau Says ‘Some’ Guns Used for Hunting Will Be Confiscated by Firearms Bill

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau takes part in a year-end interview with The Canadian Press in Ottawa on Dec. 12, 2022. The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says “some” guns used for hunting will be confiscated by his government’s proposed firearms restriction legislation, although he said in the House of Commons last week that the government “is not interested” in illegalizing hunting guns.

“Our focus now is on saying OK, there are some guns, yes, that we’re going to have to take away from people who were using them to hunt,” Trudeau told CTV News in a year-end interview, the full version of which will air on Dec. 31.

“We’re going to also make sure that you’re able to buy other guns from a long list of guns that are accepted that are fine for hunting, whether it’s rifles or shotguns. We’re not going at the right to hunt in this country. We are going at some of the guns used to do it that are too dangerous in other contexts.”

If passed, Bill C-21 will permanently ban 1,500 “assault-style” firearms, which were already illegalized by the Liberal government through an Order in Council in May 2020.

The pending legislation was amended in late November to prohibit an additional 300 to 400 firearms commonly used for hunting. The amendments would illegalize any firearm that can hold a detachable magazine and would also add to the Criminal Code an evergreen definition to cover what the government defines as prohibited “assault-style” firearms.”

The bill was under review by the Commons public safety committee before Parliament adjourned last week.

During question period on Dec. 13, the prime minister responded to criticism about Bill C-21 by Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, who said the government should introduce laws targeting guns used by criminals rather than law-abiding hunters.

“Now that he has been caught with his real agenda, which is to go after hunters and farmers rather than gun smugglers and gangsters, will he reverse himself and promise never again to go after our hunters in our country?” Poilievre asked.

“We are not interested in going after guns that are typically used for hunting and protecting farms,” Trudeau replied, adding that his government will continue to “consult” with Canadians on the proposed list of guns to ban.

Feedback

Trudeau said on Dec. 5 that his government is listening to feedback about the proposed gun bans from Canadian firearms owners. He told reporters in Ingersoll, Ont., that the government has been receiving “a lot of feedback around concerns” Bill C-21 will ban rifles and shotguns commonly used for hunting.

“That’s what we’re listening to feedback on now, to make sure that we’re not capturing weapons that are primarily hunting weapons,” he said.

Two days later, the Liberal MP for Yukon, Brendan Hanley, and the Liberal MP for the Northwest Territories, Michael McLeod, told media that they would not support Bill C-21 unless it was amended to protect the right to own certain hunting rifles.

A day later, indigenous chiefs and their representatives at the Assembly of First Nations unanimously voted to oppose the legislation, while NDP leader Jagmeet Singh told the assembly that his party would not support “any amendment in any way that contravenes your treaty rights.”

Federal ministers addressed concerns surrounding Bill C-21 on Dec. 14, telling reporters on Parliament Hill that there are “still 19,000 firearms available for hunters and sport shooters.”

“If you want to shoot ducks, moose, deer, partridge, ptarmigan, there are plenty of legal firearms available,” said Minister of Rural Economic Development Gudie Hutchings.

Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said the current list of proposed gun bans “takes a look at a number of objective characteristics and tries to capture those guns which have no place in our communities.”

Mendicino added that the government also wants to be “in full respect of those who hunt, and indigenous communities.”

Noé Chartier and Marnie Cathcart contributed to this report.