The Yukon legislature passed a motion on Wednesday urging the territorial government to ignore the Trudeau government’s gun buy-back program.
Although controlled by the governing Liberals with a minority in the legislative assembly, the legislature passed a motion without government support urging the Yukon government to not enforce the Trudeau government’s firearm buy-back program.
The motion brought forward by Yukon Party justice critic Brad Cathers passed in an 11-8 vote with the official opposition Yukon Party and NDP MLAs voting for the motion. The Yukon Liberals all voted against the motion.
Cathers says the territorial RCMP should not be focusing on confiscating the firearms from law-abiding citizens who may use them to hunt and sustain their way of life. The program would divert the territorial RCMP’s policing resources away from tasks like maintaining public safety.
“The National Police Federation, which is the union representing RCMP members, has made it clear that the Trudeau government’s Order in Council prohibiting various firearms and the ‘buy-back’ program will divert police resources away from dealing with organized crime,” Cathers said.
“RCMP members said the federal Liberal government’s firearms measures actually divert important personnel and resources from where they are needed most.”
Yukon joins Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba in defying the Trudeau government’s gun confiscation plan.
However, the Yukon’s show of defiance towards the federal government isn’t nearly as concrete as the other provinces, as the Yukon’s governing Liberals did not support the motion.
The Yukon Party hopes that the Yukon Liberals will respect the wishes of the legislative assembly and defy the federal government’s gun confiscation program.
“We are happy the motion passed, and hope the territorial government will respect the will of the Yukon Legislative Assembly,” said Cathers.
Alberta’s new premier Danielle Smith voiced her support for the vote asserting that policing priorities and private property rights are the province’s responsibility.
“Yukon voted (including their NDP party) to join Saskatchewan, Manitoba, & Alberta in their opposition to @JustinTrudeau’s intrusion into provincial jurisdiction,” said the premier.
“Policing priorities & private property rights are the mandate of the provinces, not Ottawa.”
