What's With Alberta & Saskatchewan ARMING UP Before 2026？
Episode Stats
Words per Minute
154.4724
Summary
As the federal government moves ahead with its ban on more than 2,000 assault-style firearms, Prince Albert Police Chief Patrick Noget is questioning how enforcement will work. Across the prairies, gun sales are climbing very quickly and applications for gun licenses are higher than they ve been for a very long time. Is this panic or is it preparation?
Transcript
00:00:00.000
Alberta and Saskatchewan seem to be arming up and the rest of Canada is finally starting to notice.
00:00:06.300
Across the prairies, gun sales are climbing very quickly and applications for gun licenses
00:00:12.280
are higher than they've been for a very long time. The RCMP's most recent report shows over
00:00:18.280
360,000 licensed gun owners in Alberta alone and nearly 120,000 in Saskatchewan,
00:00:25.400
giving both of these provinces some of the highest per capita ownership rates in the entire country.
00:00:32.000
Firearms instructors say that their classes are full until next year and gun retailers from Edmonton to Saskatoon
00:00:38.640
talk about a sharp increase in the sale of hunting rifles, shotguns, and ammunition. Is this panic
00:00:45.360
or is it preparation? As the federal government moves ahead with its ban of more than 2,000
00:00:52.040
assault-style firearms, Prince Albert Police Chief Patrick Noget, who also heads the province's
00:00:57.840
Police Chiefs Association, is questioning how enforcement will work. Is there going to be an
00:01:03.080
expectation for police to show up at a doorstep if provided with a list of individuals that is
00:01:07.380
in possession of one of these firearms? Owners will be contacted with instructions to either
00:01:12.260
turn their guns over to local police after scheduling a time online or keep them by proving
00:01:18.040
the gun has been deactivated. Statistics Canada says in 91 percent of shooting homicides, the accused did
00:01:25.940
not have a valid firearms license. We're targeting the wrong individuals. I mean, we're targeting law
00:01:31.400
abiding gun owners and taking firearms away from them and spending a lot of money to do it. And at the
00:01:37.560
same time, you know, they're not the problem. The federal government says the ban is part of its
00:01:43.240
commitment to tackling gun violence. But Saskatchewan's Firearms Commissioner says the focus should be on
00:01:49.640
tightening borders. We need to redirect our effort toward border security, mental health, domestic
00:01:54.820
violence, crime, smuggling. I mean, the list goes on and on. After years of new restrictions and federal
00:02:02.720
confiscation schemes, many Westerners feel that Ottawa's approach to gun control simply doesn't reflect
00:02:09.300
their values or even reality. For people who live far away from big cities, firearms are tools for work,
00:02:16.900
safety and sport. And losing access to them feels like losing a piece of freedom. And with Alberta's 2026
00:02:23.540
independence referendum fast approaching, that sense of self-reliance is intensifying.
00:02:29.300
So you say that the Alberta government will not be enforcing what you call the federal gun grab. What does that mean exactly?
00:02:36.020
Well, it means that since the federal government first introduced this confiscation scheme,
00:02:42.820
we've been absolutely and unequivocally clear. We will oppose any policy that undermines law-abiding
00:02:49.380
firearms owners, including ineffective and extremely expensive buyback programs that don't actually
00:02:57.860
speak to the root cause of the problem. What should they expect though, firearms owners in your
00:03:02.260
province when that amnesty period is over? Do you think that police in Alberta will be, you know,
00:03:08.260
looking for folks that have these now prohibited firearms and charging them with federal crimes?
00:03:13.300
Because that is what the law states. Is that something that people in your province should be prepared for?
00:03:19.140
Well, look, we've said that we will not cooperate with the confiscation scheme. We will not participate in
00:03:25.060
any federal programs that create criminals out of law-abiding Albertans. And so in response to that,
00:03:31.540
we've prevented our municipalities in Alberta from crafting piecemeal arbitrary firearms legislation.
00:03:38.900
We've notified our policing agencies that enforcement of this gun grab is not a priority for our police
00:03:44.900
detachments, that they need to be focusing on criminals and illegal activity. We've also provided guidelines
00:03:51.060
to our Crown prosecutors that prosecuting these charges stemming from this scheme is of low priority.
00:03:57.300
And we've developed regulations making it absolutely clear that anyone looking to act as a confiscation
00:04:03.940
agent for the federal government must obtain a provincial license or be in breach of provincial laws.
00:04:11.460
The bottom line is this, we stand by our law-abiding gun owners and we'll do everything that we can
00:04:17.860
to make sure that honest Albertans are not made into criminals by illogical and politically motivated
00:04:24.180
policies. People are thinking ahead, asking what Alberta and Saskatchewan will look like if the
00:04:29.940
Prairies push for more control over their jurisdiction. And what happens if Ottawa pushes back?
00:04:35.380
I'm going to gun control groups urging you to act swiftly on election promises on firearms. Meantime,
00:04:41.860
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith went on the record at one of her recent Alberta Next town halls. I'm sure
00:04:46.980
you've been briefed on it, saying that all levels of government and police within the province,
00:04:50.420
including RCMP, have been instructed not to participate in any gun confiscation.
00:04:57.300
What do you intend to do on the firearms file specifically? And what do you make a pre-rismissed
00:05:00.900
position? Well, I'm not going to, the exact quote, maybe I'll leave the quote to the side,
00:05:07.220
but I'll pick up one word there, confiscation. This is not about confiscation. This is about
00:05:11.700
voluntary return of firearms for compensation. Well, despite the government calling it voluntary,
00:05:19.780
on the tech briefing for journalists, the bureaucrats made it very clear, this is not
00:05:24.020
voluntary. You will either hand over your gun to the government, you will have it destroyed on your
00:05:29.700
own dime, or you will face criminal charges. You will be in violation of the law. There's no voluntary
00:05:35.620
aspect of like, you know, I just don't feel like participating. You have to participate in one of
00:05:42.180
the ways or face up to 10 years in jail. The provincial governments of these provinces remain
00:05:48.500
defiant against gun confiscations. They're refusing to go after law-abiding gun owners. Out West,
00:05:55.380
self-reliance isn't rebellion. It's tradition. When Albertans and the people of Saskatchewan line up to
00:06:01.940
legally purchase firearms, it's not about aggression, but about self-preservation in a
00:06:08.180
country that seems to be getting worse by the hour. It's about trusting themselves more than
00:06:14.100
far off institutions. With the federal gun buyback program piloting in Nova Scotia, some Alberta gun
00:06:20.020
owners hope it at least leads to clarity on how the program is going to play out. But in the province,
00:06:24.980
it's not a very popular program. Even with the Alberta government introducing legislation to try to
00:06:30.500
prevent the federal government from taking restrictive firearms from legal gun owners.
00:06:34.660
Obviously, there's growing pains and they're introducing it as a pilot project in the east.
00:06:40.900
So hopefully they can resolve those growing pains and we'll see how it progresses.
00:06:47.220
Good morning, P&D. Chris Kaberski owns this central Edmonton gun shop.
00:06:51.300
He estimates sales revenue dropped by 60% since Ottawa introduced the buyback program
00:06:56.740
and banned 1500 assault style firearms in 2020. That program will reopen for businesses in a few weeks.
00:07:04.020
We're just in the midst of deciding exactly how we're going to proceed with it. But we are
00:07:08.180
currently sitting on inventory. Some feel the program targets legal gun owners
00:07:12.340
while not having an impact on the illegal gun market.
00:07:15.220
It's irresponsible. It's a waste of time and money. It's to try to control the criminal action on the
00:07:22.100
wrong spot. What you got to do, you got to keep the criminal in jail.
00:07:26.180
So as the 2026 referendum approaches, Alberta and Saskatchewan seem to be preparing for change
00:07:32.500
legally, quietly and decisively. These two provinces are sending a message to the rest of Canada.
00:07:38.980
They intend to shape their own destiny and they're getting ready to do just that.
00:07:44.580
Look, I don't know if it's because I'm kind of a paranoid guy,
00:07:47.700
but something I've noticed over the years is that there isn't or hasn't been a single
00:07:53.860
government that genuinely cares for its people and has the best interest of its people at heart,
00:07:59.860
its citizens, that wants to damage, take away, diminish their ability to defend themselves.
00:08:07.540
You guys south of the border will understand that. You have the God-given right enshrined in
00:08:12.980
the constitution known as the second amendment, the right of the people to keep and bear arms.
00:08:17.700
You see here, just north of the border, we don't have that right. We have the ability to get a
00:08:22.740
weapon if we, you know, satisfy the government's desire to know whether we're entitled or not to
00:08:29.940
get it. Here is a privilege and that privilege gets affected, restricted and diminished at the
00:08:38.020
government's whim. Hey, if you've made it this far, thank you so much for watching. If you'd like
00:08:42.900
to be notified every time a new video is published, hit the subscribe button and activate the
00:08:47.300
notifications bell. It's completely free and it helps our channel grow. A heartfelt thank you to
00:08:52.580
all our channel members. I really appreciate your support. See you all in the next one. Peace.