Federal Election 2019 Series: Part Two of Four

Gun control has long been debated in our nation by both citizens and politicians alike. We live in a time where violence has been on the rise in our major cities and gun related crimes have risen with this statistic. There is a severe lack of government funding directed to curbing the foundation and source of the increase of violent gun related crime. We do not have an appropriate amount of funding for combating organized crime, gun smuggling or mental health among the general population. So with the 2019 election having been just announced last week, where do the parties of Canada stand on gun related issues? In this series over the next four weeks, we will be investigating the gun control stances of each of the major parties of this great nation. Today, we examine the NDP Party of Canada.

Overview…

To state that the current policies regarding firearms control and rights within this party are elusive would be a gross understatement. Not only do they not state outright what their policy’s are regarding this hot topic, they don’t include it in their platform for the current election. Jagmeet Singh has commented sporadically during debate and on the campaign trail about how he wants tighter control measures in place but doesn’t give us any indication as to what he plans to do if elected nor does he state how he will get there. Is this a way of passing the buck until elected and then climbing into bed with the Liberals on their push for policy? Could this be strategic placement and alliance between them for a greater chance of pushing an agenda? Lets break things down for you so you can see how their firearms stance measures up, as vague as those stances have been to date.

NDP Stance on Gun Control

•  The party has gone on the record to state it’s alignment to the Liberal party on bill C-71. A Global News story published the exchange below. When asked, after a session of the House, he had to turn and ask one of his MP’s if the party aligns with Bill C-71, to which the following exchange occurred: Asked again whether his caucus agrees with him, the NDP leader seemed momentarily at a loss. “Give me a moment,” Singh said, then turned to NDP parliamentary leader Guy Caron, who was standing behind him. Singh whispered something inaudible, and after listening to Caron’s equally inaudible reply, turned back to the cameras. “So yes, right now our caucus is in support of this bill,” he confirmed.

• Recently, while in Quebec, Singh commented on the rash of gun related violence in Mississauga. This story published his comments and his party stance on gun control: Singh, campaigning in Quebec, re-iterated his party’s promise to allow municipalities to ban handguns, if that’s what they think is the best way to stem violence. But he said that’s only one step. “When people don’t have hope they can fall on the wrong path,” Singh said after an event in Sherbrooke. “And we want to make sure we have all the programs in place – affordable housing, good health care, opportunities for work so that young people can find a positive way forward and not end up in a vicious cycle of violence.”   

Jagmeet Singh NDP Leader

Conclusion and Final Thoughts…

Not only can we conclude that the NDP’s align most closely with the Liberal Party stance on gun control and firearm rights, based on their support of bill C-71, but its safe to say that they don’t have a gun stance policy at all. In such a volatile environment in our nation with regard to gun control, it’s also safe to say that not having a stance is just as dangerous to Canadians as having one that impedes our rights. I was truly shocked, while researching this party’s platform, that the only reference to gun rights mentioned were in articles online by Global News and the occasional mention in a smaller blog style post. 

Is this because the NDP doesn’t care about this issue and is only interested in getting their hands on our money to spend at will, not unlike their Liberal counterparts, or do they just not see increasing gun control measures and uncontrolled firearm violence as a legitimate issue in our society? Only they can answer that question. As far as we see it, this is a dangerous stance from any political party in our nation and we have to decide if we want a government that is willing to be so casual about our firearm rights and completely ignore illegal gun trade. I don’t think we should be willing to risk our rights, our family’s safety or our nation. We need leadership and someone willing to work with us. Not against us.