Trudeau reveals gun-grabbing ambitions in mandate letter to Bill Blair

I can’t say I’m surprised, but that doesn’t make it any easier to stomach. In this week’s Loonie Politics column, I tackle the quiet announcement—buried in a 1,780 word letter—that the government will be exploring a national handgun ban.

You can read the full column at Loonie Politics, for which you can pick up a discounted subscription by using the promo code ‘Lawton’.

It was 18 years ago that Charlton Heston famously said the government would have to pry his guns from his “cold, dead hands.”  So memorable was the line that most have forgotten its preamble, which now applies to Canadian politics.

Moments earlier in his speech, Heston issued to gun owners a call to action, in the face of concerns presidential candidate Al Gore would curb gun rights, if elected.

“Will you remain silent?”, Heston asked.  “I will not remain silent.  If we are going to stop this, then it is vital to every law-abiding gun owner…(to) show up at the polls on Election Day.”

Canadian gun owners just got their call to action — from Justin Trudeau, oddly.

On Tuesday, the Prime Minister’s Office released its mandate letter for Bill Blair, laying out what Trudeau expects the former Toronto police chief to accomplish in his new role as Canada’s first Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction.

At least we know what Blair is supposed to be doing now.  For weeks, he was a minister-in-name only, existing without a mandate, a staff, or even an office.  I’ve heard of make-work positions, but this was a no-work position.

I was quite critical of this a few weeks ago, though now that I see the job description I find myself longing for the days when he didn’t have one.