Yukon to appoint firearms advocate so gun owners can ‘continue to be heard’
The Yukon’s justice minister has tabled legislation that she says will help protect the interests of gun owners in the territory.
Minister Laura Lang introduced the proposed Yukon Firearms Act on Wednesday in the Legislative Assembly. It would establish an independent firearms advocate for the territory, to “ensure the voices of Yukon firearms owners continue to be heard,” she said.
“Firearms are vital in the North. They are part of our northern way of life and should be promoted, not punished,” Lang said.
She described the legislation as a direct and necessary response to Ottawa, specifically the contentious federal Assault-Style Firearms Compensation Program. Under that program, the federal government offered to buy banned firearms from gun owners.
More than 2,500 makes and models of assault-style firearms were banned in Canada since 2020.
As of June, 135 firearms had been declared in the Yukon under the federal buyback program.
Northern context
Earlier this year, the territorial government passed a motion urging the federal government “to acknowledge the unique northern context by establishing a carve-out exempting the three territories from the Assault-Style Firearms Compensation Program and related prohibitions.”
Lang said Wednesday that her government is “committed to making Yukon communities safer,” but complained that the federal compensation program, which is voluntary, “distracts from this goal.”
“It targets licensed, trained, vetted and responsible Yukon firearms owners,” she said. “Our government has consistently stood up for responsible firearm owners and opposed federal policies that reduce our private property rights and our way of life.”
Under the proposed Yukon Firearms Act, an appointed advocate would advise the territorial government on the impact of federal firearms legislation, advocate for Yukon gun owners, and promote public safety around firearm ownership and use.
The advocate would be an independent agent of the government and appointed to a term of up to two years. They would submit an annual report to the minister.
Lang described the role as “a direct point of contact for firearms owners, businesses and organizations with concerns, questions or suggestions.”
This past summer, the territory solicited public feedback on what the Yukon Firearms Act should look like, and what a firearms advocate might do. A report summarizing that feedback was released on Wednesday.
Firearms advocate position
The report says that 226 people responded to an online survey, and other residents also submitted comments by email or in person at public events, including the Yukon Sportsman and Hobby Show.
A small majority (53.7 per cent) of respondents were at least conditionally supportive of the idea of a firearms advocate for the territory, while 28.4 per cent voiced strong opposition.
Those opposed to the advocate role cited “concerns related to allocation of public monies to this office and a general sentiment of this role being unnecessary or ineffective to achieve the aims of firearms owners and non-owners alike,” the report says.
A few people suggested the government “reframe the position” as an advocate for victims of domestic violence or firearms-related harms.
The proposed Yukon Firearms Act still needs to be passed in the Legislative Assembly.
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Expect mini capital budget alongside firearms act this fall, Yukon premier says, CBC News
United States: Alaskan authorities intercept Canadians allegedly smuggling drugs, firearms into U.S., CBC News
