Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe trumpeted new gun legislation passed Wednesday by his government, while praising his justice minister as “the hottest lawyer in the province.”
Moe, in a speech to rural leaders, lauded the work of Tim McLeod and played a video of the justice minister championing the law at a committee this week. He also referenced McLeod’s spouse.
“I also heard this morning that his wife, who’s a good Shellbrook girl, had mentioned to him, that’s the hottest thing a lawyer has ever said, so we’ve got to get Tim home here pretty quick,” Moe said to some laughter at the convention of the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities.
The premier is from Shellbrook and represents the town north of Saskatoon as part of his constituency.
Moe’s Saskatchewan Party government has long challenged the federal gun buyback program.
The new provincial law allows owners to apply for exemption certificates on guns prohibited by the federal government.
Moe said certificates would allow owners to continue to possess and store their guns until Ottawa provides fair compensation for them.
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“We have taken a very significant and I think firm stand when it comes to standing up for law-abiding gun owners in this province and across the nation,” Moe told the convention delegates.
“There’s been successive Liberal governments that on more than one occasion, have tried to institute some type of a gun grab.”
The province said applications for certificates would be only available to those with valid licences and they must be in good standing.
The law also aims to exempt owners from some charges.
It cites a section of the Criminal Code that gives firearms exemptions for police, military and people who are under the authority of federal or provincial governments.
Under Saskatchewan’s law, gun owners can be designated as “acting on behalf of and under the authority” of the province.
Moe later told reporters the province is not breaking the federal buyback law.
“It’s actually complying with it,” he said. “The goal of this is to actually have the (federal gun buyback) law repealed.”
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Earlier this year, Ottawa launched a program to compensate firearms owners to remove “dangerous, assault-style firearms” from communities.
The federal government gave a deadline of March 31 for owners to submit declarations to ensure payment.
Ottawa says owners are required to schedule appointments with RCMP or local police to turn in their firearms, and they have until Oct. 30 to do so.
“Owners in possession of a prohibited firearm or device following this date will be non-compliant with legislation and could face the loss of their (possession and acquisition licence), as well as criminal liability,” the federal government had said in a news release.
The federal government did not immediately comment on Saskatchewan’s law.
Moe told delegates it would take “years and years and years” for firearms to be assessed and turned in.
McLeod later told reporters that gun owners will have to register with the firearms office if they want to receive a certificate and be covered by its protections.
The province wants to ensure gun owners receive full compensation, he added.
The Opposition NDP said in a statement it supports the provincial law.
“The federal government should focus on going after criminals instead of law-abiding gun owners,” it said.
So just add your name to this government list…include all the guns you have and we (the government ) wont use that info to come get em and know how many you have or anything…yeah how about no
People; making this rules don’t even knows what an assault rifle is,assault rifles have been banned in Canada since the 70’s.We have a right to protect our selves and property,and from a government out to distore our country.Here is what I see ahead for us,only criminals and law enforcement will have guns.
Oh Msixteen Bann you are SO very wrong. There haven’t been “Automatic Assault Carbines” in Canada since the 1970’s. The use of scary words is intended to mislead the public and create fear.
Msixteen Bann you clearly don’t know what you’re talking about
Did Larry and Curly agree
@Alex: That was a Moe DUI or something. Boozed up.
Hey 😳 ….
No Country is being DISARMED here in 2026 … 🇨🇦
Your comparison is invalid …
Automaatic Assault Carbines are the Subject here … tell us what you need it for ???
Get a BYRNA !!
There is no excuse or reason why any Human needs a weapon that can cause so much damage to others … no matter what they try to use to justify it …
Flaming Moe … Put out your Desire to FIRE !!
🌊🔥🌧
James Bilodeau, why would we leave and let idiots like you completely ruin a good thing? Besides, no one wants to miss the Purge once it starts
Bobby Edler, don’t worry no one considers you a man, weapon or not, you’re still soft as 3 ply toilet paper.
An armed man is a citizen.
An unarmed man is a subject.
1911: Turkey; citizens disarmed – 1.5 million Armenians were slaughtered
1929: Russia; citizens disarmed – 20 million Russians murdered
1935: China; citizens disarmed – 20 million Chinese killed
1938: Germany; citizens disarmed – 6 million Jews murdered
1956: Cambodia; citizens disarmed – 1 million “intellectuals” killed
1964: Guatemala; citizens disarmed – 100,000 Mayan Indians massacred
1970: Uganda; citizens disarmed – 300,000 Christians put to death
Statistics show guns violence are more likely to involve somebody close to them than criminals.These guys loves their guns more their family.
Wish BC would follow!
History teaches us that handing over your weapon to politicians is a very unintelligent thing to do
Dont like it bud, you could move. I hear alberta is booming
The premier who killed someone?