Why are Quebec police calling gun owners' spouses?
The Sûreté du Québec has launched an initiative that sees officers contacting the spouses of licensed firearms owners to ask about possible domestic violence concerns.
What if the police called your spouse tomorrow and asked whether you might become violent someday?
Not because you'd committed a crime. Not because anyone had filed a complaint. Not because there was evidence against you. Just because you legally owned something that the government doesn't like.
That's exactly what's happening in Quebec.
This week, the Carney Liberals quietly extended their gun ban amnesty once again, delaying implementation of the federal confiscation scheme until 90 days after the Supreme Court of Canada hears the Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights challenge to the 2020 gun ban. By the time this whole mess winds through the court, it will be seven and a half years after hundreds of thousands of previously legal firearms were prohibited by Order-in-Council.
Thankfully, the government still hasn't managed to complete its confiscation program, and Canadians are still waiting to learn whether the ban itself was lawful.
At the same time, Quebec police are targeting licensed gun owners in a different way. The Sûreté du Québec has launched an initiative that sees officers contacting the spouses of licensed firearms owners to ask about possible domestic violence concerns.
The problem? Canada already has extensive laws allowing authorities to intervene when there are genuine safety concerns. Police can seize firearms, licences can be suspended or revoked, courts can issue protection orders, and red-flag laws already allow firearms to be removed before violence occurs.
So why are police investigating people who haven't been accused of any wrongdoing?
@SheilaGunnReid