O.F.A.H. and firearms community applaud withdrawal of Liberal Resolution #42

OFAH FILE: 842
February 1, 2007

For Immediate Release

O.F.A.H. and firearms community applaud withdrawal of Liberal Resolution #42

Great news! The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (O.F.A.H.), and members of the firearms and outdoors community across Canada received confirmation today that the ill-fated, inflammatory and highly inaccurate Resolution #42 (passed at the recent federal Liberal Convention in Montreal) has been withdrawn.

“Based on recent correspondence we received from federal Liberal M.P.’s Paul Steckle and the Hon. Andy Scott, neither of whom supported the resolution, it would appear that the Liberal Party of Canada has done the right thing and withdrawn the policy,” said Greg Farrant, O.F.A.H. Government Relations Manager. “Not only was the resolution completely unnecessary in the first place, worse still, it was based upon highly inaccurate information that contradicted their own firearms legislation passed when they were in power. At the very least, by withdrawing the resolution, the party has acknowledged its mistake and taken steps to correct this procedural gaff. However, this does not speak to the underlying reason for the resolution and the ongoing attempt by the national Liberal Party to demonize legal law-abiding firearms owners in Canada instead of supporting the current government’s efforts to target criminals who use illegal firearms to commit crimes.”

Download the letter from Liberal M.P. Paul Steckle (147 KB)

Download the recent correspondence from the Hon. Andy Scott (11 KB) 

Resolution #42, incorrectly identified certain types of firearms as being illegal for hunting purposes in Canada, and sought to ban them outright, even though these same firearms were identified as being legally used for this same purpose under the much maligned Liberal Bill C-68, passed by the former Chretien government.

The passage of Resolution #42 at the Liberal Convention prompted a firestorm of protest by the O.F.A.H. and a large number of key firearms and outdoors organizations across the country, including the Nova Scotia Federation of Anglers and Hunters, Delta Waterfowl Foundation, the British Columbia Wildlife Federation, the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation, the Canadian Sportfishing Industry Association, F