OTTAWA — Days before the country marks the anniversary of the 1989 École Polytechnique massacre, one of Canada’s most prominent gun control advocacy groups is sharply criticizing Prime Minister Mark Carney and his government for what it calls a failure to act on key firearm reforms.
In a strongly worded letter sent to the Prime Minister this week, PolySeSouvient — a group formed in the wake of the Montreal tragedy — said it would be “disingenuous and even hypocritical” for Liberal MPs to wear white ribbons on December 6, the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, given the government’s outstanding commitments on assault-style firearms and measures related to intimate partner violence.
The group argues that despite early steps taken by Ottawa — including the 2020 prohibition of roughly 2,500 models of assault-style firearms — significant gaps remain, particularly around the semi-automatic SKS rifle, a weapon not currently included in the federal ban. While commonly used in Indigenous communities for hunting, the SKS has also been linked to police killings and other high-profile shootings.
PolySeSouvient says excluding the SKS undermines the integrity of the ban and compromises public safety, calling for immediate action to restrict new sales, remove modern assault-style variants from circulation, and offer a voluntary buyback for older models, while creating exemptions for Indigenous subsistence hunters.
The group is also expressing frustration over the government’s failure to implement measures passed nearly two years ago aimed at preventing firearm-related intimate partner violence. Over 50 women’s organizations have been urging Ottawa to move quickly on these provisions, which were designed to strengthen protections and close dangerous loopholes. Some of these efforts were echoed earlier this year by families affected by domestic gun-related killings.
During the last election, Prime Minister Carney’s Liberals promised automatic licence revocations for individuals convicted of violent offences, particularly involving intimate partner violence. PolySeSouvient says little progress has been made, and that the government must implement these commitments before taking part in memorial events honouring the 14 women murdered at École Polytechnique.
The letter concludes that wearing white ribbons while key firearm and safety measures remain unfulfilled sends the wrong message to survivors, advocates and Canadians seeking stronger action against gender-based violence.