OTTAWA — Women’s advocacy groups and firearm control organizations are putting pressure on Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government to immediately enforce a critical component of gun control legislation passed 30 months ago.
The stalled provision mandates that any individual subject to a protection order—frequently issued in cases of intimate partner violence—must automatically have their firearms licence revoked and be barred from holding one while the order remains in effect. The law was designed to quickly disarm abusers during highly volatile and dangerous periods.
While the federal government argues that implementation has been delayed due to the logistical need to define “protection order” and set up proper reporting frameworks, advocacy groups accuse the Liberals of trying to narrow the scope of the law.
An analysis by the National Association of Women and the Law points out that the government’s proposed regulations exclude certain criminal restrictions, such as bail conditions or probation orders.
“Excluding these orders creates an arbitrary and dangerous distinction,” the analysis warns, noting that it leaves survivors whose abusers are out on bail with no-contact orders unprotected by automatic licence revocations.
Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree recently stated that the government has been putting “quite a bit of work” into balancing the regulatory framework following a public consultation period in March. The government currently aims to have the finalized regulations officially in place by late September.
