The leader of the Canadian opposition, leader in the election race, under fire for gun control

VANCOUVER, Sept. 4 (Reuters) – The leader of Canada’s opposition Conservative party, which has a chance of defeating Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in an election, on Saturday withdrew from charges it plans to weaken gun controls, an issue which could be costly.

This week, Conservative leader Erin O’Toole has been repeatedly pressured by her campaign promise to repeal the 2020 arms ban like the AR-15, used by a gunman to kill 26 adults and children in the Sandy Hook massacre in the US.

O’Toole declined to answer questions directly, noting that he plans to maintain a separate 1977 ban on assault rifles.

“Erin O’Toole is willing to say anything to Canadians to be elected. She lied to Canadians about her plans to give up the liberal assault weapons ban,” the Liberals said in a statement Saturday.

Gun control is a sensitive issue in Canada, especially in the wake of numerous high-profile killings. In April 2020, a man killed 22 people in the province of Nova Scotia, shooting 13 of them.

Over the years, liberal governments have tightened arms control laws, which are stricter than those in the United States. Some conservatives complain that the measures are too restrictive and unnecessarily penalize farmers and hunters.

“It’s very annoying to see Mr. Trudeau trying to import American-style politics, especially on a public safety issue,” O’Toole told Vancouver reporters, saying a big problem was the weapons coming from the United States. .

O’Toole also promises a review of how weapons are classified as dangerous in Canada.

The 2020 ban affected 11 categories of assault rifles and other weapons, including the Ruger Mini-14 rifle, used in a 1989 Montreal massacre in which 14 women were killed.

Trudeau called the September 20 by-elections, two years ahead of schedule, out of the need for public approval for his plans to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. But amid unhappiness over the call and voter fatigue, it is slipping.

An Ekos poll on Saturday gave the Conservatives 35% public support with the Liberals 28.8% and left-wing New Democrats 19.6%, enough to give O’Toole a minority administration and end with six years of Trudeau’s rule.

Report by David Ljunggren in Vancouver Edited by Matthew Lewis

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