The Liberal reign of error under the leadership of Justin Trudeau continues. On May 1st, the Liberal government announced a new round of prohibitions of 1500 makes and models of semi-automatic rifles via an Order-in-council. The decision to prohibit these rifles is arbitrary, and like every other policy, the Liberals imposed on Canadians are rooted in divisive identity politics. Justin Trudeau made no secret of his faith in feminism–repeatedly declaring since he became Prime Minister in 2015 with a majority in parliament. He proudly formed a gender-balanced Cabinet “because it is 2015.” He would like everyone to become feminists. Rest assured, Justin Trudeau is a true believer in feminist doctrine–or so he says. Unfortunately, the Trudeau government stumbled in its zeal to promote feminist causes when it passed Bill-C-16 into law. Bill C-16 An Act to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Criminal Code, added gender identity and gender expression to the list of prohibited grounds of discrimination. Bill C-16 was passed into law by the Parliament of Canada in 2016.

No doubt, the Liberal government thought this would be well received by proponents of the transgender ideology, including gender-inclusive feminists–and it is. However, the passage of Bill C-16 only heightened the long-standing internecine quarrel between rival factions in the broader ideological domain of feminism over transgender ideology. Yes, gender-inclusive feminists support the passage of Bill C-16. As Barbara Findley stated in 2018 in praise of Kimberley Nixon, a transgender woman who pressed the case in the courts for the inclusion of transgender women in feminist organizations:

It was absolutely worth it because of the impact this case [has had] on feminism and women’s groups in Canada. We have been able to serve as a catalyst for the women’s movement. Almost all of the women’s centres in Canada are now trans-inclusive. So Kimberly has changed the world for trans women. I think Kimberly is a hero, having pursued this case with dignity and single-minded determination-though she had to endure the glare of media attention and the derision of women’s groups in doing so. (as cited in WAVAW Rape Crisis Centre)

Nixon’s litigation went before the courts starting in 1995 and finishing in 2007 when the Supreme Court of Canada dismissed the case. On the other hand, gender-critical feminists opposed the passage of Bill C-16 into law. Following its enactment into law, gender-critical feminists launched a campaign for its repeal; on November 18, 2019, gender-critical feminists published the Canadian Women’s Declaration, An Appeal to Repeal Bill C-16.

Whether the Liberal government intended for this to happen, it succeeded in opening an ugly can of worms in making gender identity and gender expression prohibited grounds of discrimination. The feminist base of the Liberal Party of Canada is now at each other’s throats like never before. What is the Liberal Government with a minority in parliament in 2020 to do? Rest assured, the Liberals are not going to repeal Bill C-16. Justin Trudeau built his reputation as Prime Minister pandering to identity politics and scolding Canadians for their alleged weakness of character–for our racist and colonial history. When all else fails, the Liberal Party of Canada can always turn on Canadian gun owners. Hence, the arbitrary prohibition of 1500 makes and models of semi-automatic rifles lawfully acquired and owned by Canadians whose hobbies include hunting and sport shooting.

The Liberal government launched a public relations campaign to sell the prohibitions as a measure to combat domestic violence. You see, this is a feminist issue; it is really about violence against women. As the Liberal Deputy Prime Minister Christia Freeland said in a statement, “On average, one woman dies of domestic violence in Canada every three days. […] These guns make it easier to commit mass murder. The culture around their fetishization makes our country inherently more dangerous for the most vulnerable: women and girls. It is unacceptable in 2020 that gender is still a factor in how safe you feel.” (cited in the CBC)

Frankly, this has got to be the stupidest thing I ever heard. I am sure feminists on either side of the divide will support the prohibitions–but the gender critical feminists are not going to stop pressing the Liberal government to repeal Bill C-16. They will be unimpressed by this feeble gesture to appease them. What is worse is that the ban will not apply to Aboriginal Canadians; it is about identity politics, after all. The Liberals want to combat violence against women–but they do not want to be seen as racist either. Never mind that firearms are a European invention; that firearms were introduced to the native societies of the Americas by European traders. In the Liberal mindset, it is worth accepting the risk of violence against women and children, provided they are Aboriginal. That and as data generated by the Department of Justice show, “in Canada, firearm suicide rates are highest among aboriginal people.” (Department of Justice) Somehow the Liberals overlooked this point in their haste to ban “military-style assault weapons, “save for those in the hands of First Nations people.

The fact is the Liberals are dealing with a messy situation that is of their own making following the passage of Bill C-16. No doubt the Liberals will let the competing factions of feminists fight it out in the human rights tribunals and the courts in the coming years rather than address the controversy. Beyond that, they are trying to suck Canadian gun owners (men and women alike) into futile arguments with feminists and prohibitionists over our freedom to own and use guns. I, for one, refuse to take the bait. As a gun owner, my fight is with the Liberal government and the Canadian Firearms Act. It is the CFA that enables the federal government to reclassify and prohibit any make or model of a firearm by introducing new regulations via an Order-in-Council. There is no requirement for a public review and a debate in parliament. As gun owners, we need to maintain our focus on the issues of gun ownership. We need to press home the fact that gun ownership is an integral part of Canadian culture, heritage and history.

As for Justin Trudeau and the scurvy Liberal minority government he leads, I am not going to bother reaching out as a gun owner. The Liberal Party of Canada demonstrated long before this current round of prohibitions that it does not value our freedom to own and use guns for legitimate sporting purposes. I am going to reach out to the Conservative Party of Canada and ask that when they form a federal government, they repeal the Canadian Firearms Act. Failing that, I will ask that the portions of the act that require the gun owners to have Possession and Acquisition Licenses, Restricted Possession and Acquisition Licenses and that allows the federal government to reclassify firearms by Order-in-council. I want the Canadian Firearms Act to go back to the former system of Firearms Acquisition Certificates as gun ownership is not a crime. Beyond that, I will see that I keep my membership in the Canadian Coalition for Firearms Rights current. I trust in the leadership of this organization to represent my interests as a gun owner in the political arena.

Posted by Geoffrey