RCMP Firearms Program Comments on Notice About Quebec Registry

TheGunBlog.ca — The following is a comment by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police about how it works with provincial authorities on licensing firearm owners and registering their guns.

TheGunBlog.ca asked the Ottawa-based federal agency for information after it published a notice on its website related to Quebec’s provincial gun registry.

Why is Canada's federal police (RCMP) involved in Quebec provincial politics and regulation?

Pourquoi la police fédérale canadienne (GRC) s'occupe-t-elle de la politique et de la règlementation au Québec?#DistributionOfPowershttps://t.co/teVhyvVfPE pic.twitter.com/LajIOZPvOt

— TheGunBlog (@TheGunBlog) March 20, 2019

Michelle Schmidt, a spokeswoman for the RCMP, replied by e-mail today:

A notification concerning the Government of Quebec’s Firearms Registration Act was posted to the CFP website on February 8, 2019. It was an update to a previous notification about the provincial legislation coming into force.

The message was developed by the Canadian Firearms Program (CFP) in conjunction with the Chief Firearms Officer (CFO) of Quebec in order to ensure clarity for clients of both the CFP, which administers federal firearms legislation (the Firearms Act), and the Government of Quebec, which administers its Firearms Registration Act.

There is a CFO for each province and territory. The CFOs are responsible for the decision-making and administrative work related to licences, authorizations to transport and authorizations to carry, and transfers of firearms by individuals and businesses. Through the offices of CFOs, the CFP works with provinces, territories and municipalities to manage firearms licensing, authorizations to carry or transport, and the continuous eligibility of licensees.

Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia have appointed their own CFOs under the Firearms Act. The Government of Canada funds these operations through contribution agreements between the provinces and the federal government. The CFOs responsible for Newfoundland and Labrador, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia are appointed federally. The federal CFOs are also responsible for the three territories.

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