"Breitkreuz bill to strengthen property rights would make government more accountable to the people."

Yorkton – The same day that Garry Breitkreuz, MP for Yorkton-Melville, leaked a letter from the Canadian Police Association (CPA) condemning the Justice Department for a massive violation of property rights, the Saskatchewan MP was informed his private members bill (C-304) to strengthen property rights in federal law was selected for debate in Parliament. "This letter from the police demonstrates why property rights need to be strengthened in federal law exactly as my bill proposes. The government obviously thinks that just because property rights were intentionally left out of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms that they can run roughshod over this most fundamental of human rights," said Breitkreuz.

The CPA letter confirmed that Justice Department officials informed the Minister’s own User Group on Firearms that, despite their protests, the government will proceed with plans to confiscate (without compensation) 20,000 to 30,000 legally-owned handguns banned and based primarily on the "opinion" of the Minister of Justice under the authority granted by Bill C-68, the Firearms Act. The banned firearms are part of the lawfully acquired inventory of hundreds of registered firearm dealers in Canada. "The government is making a huge mistake if they think they can get away with this infringement of our fundamental property rights," warned Breitkreuz.

Breitkreuz explained the government is: (1) Violating these citizens’ common law protection of property rights which have existed since the Magna Carta first codified this fundamental right; (2) Violating the property rights provisions of the Canadian Bill of Rights and the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights; and (3) Proceeding contrary to a number of Supreme Court decisions and legal precedents regarding property rights. "Property rights are natural and fundamental and based on hundreds of years of common law. The only legal protection in federal law rests in the Canadian Bill of Rights," reported Breitkreuz, "and the government’s actions prove that even this limited protection needs to be strengthened."

Breitkreuz’ Bill C-304 would specifically guarantee that every person has (1) the right to the enjoyment of their property, (2) the right not to be deprived of their property unless they are given a fair hearing, paid fair, timely and impartially-fixed compensation, and (3) the right to appeal to the courts if their property rights have been infringed upon or denied. Every person’s property rights would be guaranteed in every law in Canada unless it is expressly declared that the Act shall operate notwithstanding the Canadian Bill of Rights. An adoption of a declaration of notwithstanding would require the votes of at least two-thirds of the Members of the House of Commons.

Breitkreuz concluded, "Freedom of speech must be defended even if we don’t agree with what some people are saying. Property rights are no different. If the government can take legally-owned firearms on a whim with no evidence to prove that the taking of this property will improve public safety, then government can take anything any one of us owns."

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For copies of the CPA letter and Bill C-304, please call:

Ottawa office: (613) 992-4394

Yorkton Office: (306) 782-3309