Conservatives Call for Trudeau to Crack Down on Dangerous Criminals, Not Law-Abiding Canadians

A Poilievre Conservative government will target real causes of gun crime, like smuggling, gangs, and easy access to bail

Ottawa, ON After eight years of Justin Trudeau, our streets have never been more unsafe, and Canadians have never been more concerned about their safety. Violent crime has increased by 32 percent, and gang-related murders have doubled. Instead of focusing on criminals, the Liberal government has announced that they will continue the largest assault on hunters in Canadian history.

To be clear, the “new” Liberal definition is the same as the old one. It is important to note that the power to ban additional firearms by adding them to the May 2020 OIC list remains in force, and commonly used hunting firearms, like the SKS, will likely be added to this list by the Liberals’ new Firearms Advisory Panel. Make no mistake, today’s announcement is the simply the original amendments in a “new” package. Hunters, farmers, Indigenous Canadians, and sport shooters will not be fooled.

By targeting law-abiding Canadians, Justin Trudeau is trying to distract from his failed record of rising crime and disorder. The Liberals’ catch-and-release policies for repeat, violent criminals aren’t working and have contributed to a wave of violent crime. Trudeau has actively made life easier for violent criminals by repealing mandatory minimum sentences for gun crimes with Bill C-5, by making it easier to get bail with Bill C-75, and by failing to stop the flow of illegal guns over the US border.

A Poilievre government will fight the crime wave that Trudeau has unleashed on Canada by investing in a secure border and in police efforts rather than spending millions of taxpayer dollars to confiscate tools from farmers, hunters and Indigenous Canadians. Trudeau has already admitted that when they say they are banning so-called “assault-style firearms,” the Liberals really mean hunting rifles used by law-abiding Canadians across the country.

“Conservatives support common-sense firearms policies that keep guns out of the hands of violent criminals,” said MP Dancho. “A Poilievre government will keep violent offenders in jail and will keep Canadians safe.”  

Conservatives are committed to keeping violent criminals where they belong – behind bars. A Poilievre government will bring back serious sentences for repeat violent offenders, reverse Trudeau’s easy access bail by toughening bail rules, and will crack down on border smuggling so illegal guns won’t make their way into Canada.