Manitoba Initiates Provincial Crackdown On Firearms Crime

What's the answer to firearms crime in Canada: More regulation of law-abiding firearm owners, or capturing and prosecuting criminals? While the federal government has opted for the first choice over the past years, Manitoba's provincial government has taken the second choice, and just announced a crackdown on violent crime, targeting gun crime in particular.

To that end, the province says it is putting more than $1.4 million towards hiring 10 prosecutors "to address violent crime related to serious, illegal firearms offences and organized crime," the government's press release said this week.

"This increased support for prosecutions is about going after illegal guns and targeting organized crime that is causing fear in communities and victimizing Manitobans. Together with calls for federal changes to the Criminal Code on bail and other measures, meaningful steps can be taken to stop those committing violent crime in our province," said Justice Minister Kelvin Goertzen in the province's announcement. “This funding will keep the Manitoba government’s focus firmly on issues related to the use of illegal firearms, preventing and combatting gang violence, and addressing the issue of illegal or smuggled guns in our province.”

Manitoba has been one of the provinces hit hardest by the rise in violent crime over recent years, and the province's response is very different from the federal response. The Liberal government's plan was Bill C-22, which then turned into Bill C-5, a soft-on-crime approach that let violent offenders roam freely on bail. Indeed, the changes from these and similar policies have already been implicated in murder cases in Canada.

The other facet of Liberal policy is a crackdown on law-abiding gun owners, which ties up police resources and funding and hinders practical crimefighting. Goertzen acknowledged this disconnect in the release:

“Our government has been consistent in its messaging that the federal government’s approach to gun crimes unnecessarily targets lawful gun owners while having little impact on criminals. With this support, Manitoba Prosecution Service will have additional resources and capacity to prosecute those committing serious offences with illegal firearms," he said.

The Manitoba Prosecution Service will use this extra funding to hire prosecutors for the firearms working group and criminal organization unit, to "further develop auditing processes for existing firearms cases and deepen expertise in handling prosecutions," whatever that means. Hopefully, it translates to more baddies behind bars.

Aside from the changes to the prosecution service, Manitoba also says the money will help by helping law enforcement in rural areas tackle firearms crime and handle increasingly complex trafficking and manufacturing cases, and hiring other support staff to manage increasing case loads associated with these crimes.

Back in 2022, when the federal Liberals introduced controversial amendments to Bill C-21 that would have banned countless hunting firearms, Manitoba was one of the provinces that publicly opposed the move. It seems the province intends to be proactive on this file, and instead of waiting for better policy from Ottawa, is working on its own plan to tackle the surge in crime.