Commentary
Prime Minister Mark Carney has a diverse mandate to pursue as he had campaigned on taking a markedly different direction in governance from his predecessor, Justin Trudeau. Carney’s promises to undo many of the Liberal initiatives, from the consumer carbon tax to the mass immigration levels, resonated with Canadians and helped him turn the party’s fortunes from what appeared to be a certain electoral blowout to nearly winning a majority government. The promises have also left the Liberals with some serious budgetary challenges.
Though Carney never promised to do so, he should consider quietly dropping the firearm ban and buyback program. It is ill-conceived and has potential to turn into a costly boondoggle with little impact on crime or public safety. Testifying at the Senate national finance committee, director general with the public safety department Marcia Jones said the estimated cost for the firearm buyback will be $342.6 million. Jones admitted that the cost estimates were rough as they were based on data from the long gun registry, which was discontinued in 2012….