Ottawa reminds Plante, Legault that control of firearms was ceded to Quebec

Justin Trudeau had promised that power would be handed over to the provinces along with a billion dollars in funding to establish their own systems.

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Cabinet ministers in the Trudeau administration appeared upset on Tuesday at criticism leveled at Ottawa by the Quebec prime minister and the mayor of Montreal on the issue of firearms control, reminding both that he had agreed to relinquish control. of firearms to the province.

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On Monday, Prime Minister François Legault and Mayor Valérie Plante reiterated calls for the federal government to do more to control firearms. His comments follow the murder of 16-year-old Thomas Trudel, who was shot and killed in Montreal on November 14.

When they arrived for a cabinet meeting in Ottawa on Tuesday, Ministers Mélanie Joly and Pablo Rodríguez recalled that Quebec had already offered to take control of firearms in the province, and that the request had been granted by the federal government. .

Ottawa had originally proposed transferring power to ban firearms, or not, to Canadian municipalities, an offer that was criticized by Plante, who called instead for a national policy. The Quebec National Assembly then unanimously voted to be given the power to control firearms on its territory.

Justin Trudeau, who was campaigning for the federal elections on September 20 at the time, promised that power would be handed over to the provinces along with $ 1 billion in funding to establish their own systems.

Foreign Minister Joly said Tuesday that Quebecers hoped all levels of government would work together rather than throw the ball on the issue. Heritage Minister Rodríguez said the same, reminding reporters of the federal government’s commitments on the issue.