Thoughts on BC Politics and More

In a stunning and rare moment of candour, Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government has been caught in a lie — by one of its own ministers. A leaked private conversation has exposed the shocking truth that the federal gun “buyback” program is a multi-million-dollar fraud being perpetuated on the Canadian people. Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree, the very man tasked with enforcing this scheme, was recorded assuring a concerned firearm owner that he has little to fear. Why? Because the minister himself admits the program is illogical, unenforceable, and exists for one reason only: to appease a segment of voters in Quebec. This is not a criticism from opponents; this is a confession from the minister in charge ... CLICK HERE for the full story 

The federal gun confiscation program that will be announced in a few hours is illogical. It won’t save lives or make the public safer. The federal government doesn’t really even expect it to work, and is only going ahead with it because they’ve been stuck with a dumb proposal the Trudeau government made almost five years ago. If they could do it all over again, they wouldn’t, but they feel like they’ve blocked themselves in and have no choice but to proceed so that they don’t anger part of their electoral coalition, mainly voters in Quebec. That might sound like a blistering criticism of the program, the kind of thing you’ve read in any number of my columns before. It’s actually what the public safety minister thinks about it. He just didn’t know he was being tape recorded when he said so. In a 20-minute conversation Gary Anandasangaree had with a firearms owner he rents a home to, which was recorded and then leaked, the minister says all of the above things. (He has also confirmed the...

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and a handful of cabinet ministers will take questions today about what they were told about — and how they responded to — allegations of foreign interference in the past two federal elections. The commission will hear from Government House Leader Karina Gould, who is on maternity leave, Defence Minister Bill Blair and Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc during the first half of the day. Trudeau is expected to start testifying around mid-afternoon .... CLICK HERE for the full story

The fate of the provincial government’s restrictions on public drug use will be decided through a constitutional challenge, after an unsuccessful attempt to appeal an injunction against the legislation. The BC Court of Appeal on Friday denied a bid from Crown prosecutors to appeal a December decision by the BC Supreme Court that imposed a three-month injunction on Bill 34 on the grounds that the law would cause “irreparable harm.” Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth said he’s disappointed with the court’s decision. Premier David Eby said it’s common sense that if the government can regulate alcohol and tobacco, “surely we can put rules in place in relation to hard drugs". . . . CLICK HERE for the full story

British Columbia is pouring cold water on Ontario’s plan to bring beer, wine, cider and other alcoholic beverages into convenience and grocery stores by 2026. Public Safety Minister and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth, whose portfolio includes the BC Liquor Distribution Branch, said Thursday’s announcement from Premier Doug Ford won’t be matched in BC ... CLICK HERE for the full story

Last June, an uproar arose when the notorious serial rapist and killer Paul Bernardo was transferred to a medium-security prison from a maximum-security facility.   At the time, the families of Bernardo's victims were not given reasons for the transfer. A lawyer for the families, Timothy Danson, described the federal government's opaque process as having a severe revictimizing effect. As the furor over the transfer unfolded, and more details about what happened behind the scenes emerged, it became clear that the federal government had, putting it mildly, been lacking in its oversight of the process and in its consideration for the impact it would have on victims' families ... CLICK HERE for the full story

Critics say approach is misdirected, could alienate users and cause greater harm   The New Brunswick government is pursuing a controversial approach to addressing drug addiction that could result in people being forced into treatment against their will. That approach would be carried out through legislation giving police officers the power to order someone to undergo drug rehabilitation in the "most extreme cases," where they pose a danger to themselves or others, said Public Safety Minister Kris Austin, in an interview. "The objective always is to get people the help that they want but some people are so deep into their addictions that they simply can't make that decision," Austin said. That's where government needs to step in to "save their lives and and make the community safer at the same time," he said ... CLICK HERE for the full story

  Months after the Liberal government offered opposition leaders the opportunity to view classified intelligence related to former special rapporteur David Johnston's report on alleged China-backed meddling in Canadian politics, a dispute is brewing over what was promised — and what was actually delivered.   Green Party Co-Leader Elizabeth May expressed frustration last week with the level of information provided to her in the classified documents and said she was requesting access to additional materials.   Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc said Friday the information May saw was what she and other opposition leaders were promised ...   CLICK HERE to read the full story

  Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc says his government is in talks with sitting judges about leading a public inquiry into Chinese election interference — but gave no hint if they're close to selecting a point person.    "It is a sensitive issue when the Government of Canada, with the full support of the recognized parties in the House of Commons, is talking to, in some cases, sitting judges," he told reporters Tuesday morning at the cabinet retreat in Charlottetown.   "We all hoped that this might have been concluded in a final way earlier. But the good news is we're continuing to do the work necessary and optimistic about getting to the right place."   LeBlanc said he's even turned to the country's highest court for advice. The minister said he has sought suggestions from Richard Wagner, chief justice of the Supreme Court, and has had two constructive conversations with him on how to move forward.    Earlier this summer, ...