Provincially appointed Chief Firearms Officers in Saskatchewan and Alberta

Date: June 2, 2020

Classification: unclassified

Branch/Agency: RCMP 

Issue:

An article in the Globe and Mail on June 2, 2020 regarding “Alberta, Saskatchewan taking over the appointment of provincial firearms officers”

Proposed Response:

Background:

The Firearms Act and associated Regulations are federal legislation.

Section 2 of the Firearms Act states:

Chief Firearms Officer:

  1. In respect of a province, the individual who is designated in writing as the chief firearms officer for the province by the provincial minister of that province,
  2. In respect of a territory, the individual who is designated in writing as the chief firearms officer for the territory by the federal Minister, or
  3. In respect of any matter for which there is no chief firearm officer under paragraph (1) or (b), the individual who is designated in writing as the chief firearms officer for the matter by the federal Minister.

The provinces of Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island currently have provincially appointed chief firearms officers.

The provinces / territories of British Columbia, Yukon Territory, Alberta, Northwest Territory, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Nunavut and Newfoundland/Labrador currently have federally appointed chief firearms officers.

Provinces enter into a Contribution Agreement with the Federal Government who provides funding to the province to administer the Firearms Act.

Public Safety Canada and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s Canadian Firearms Program have been involved in preliminary discussions with the provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta regarding the provinces appointing of a provincial Chief Firearms Officer.

Contacts:

Approved by: Stephen White, Deputy Commissioner, Specialized Policing Services, 613-843-4631

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