Keep Our Friends Close… And Accountable

In October 2019, we asked the question, “if re-elected, will Trudeau cripple hunting and target sports in Canada?”

We said then the answer was “probably” yes because we didn’t know what he had in mind. Now we do.

If Trudeau is elected again, he will complete the destruction of Canada’s hunting and sport shooting communities that he began in 2015 and ramped up in 2019.

He will continue to allow violent criminals to roam free. He will reduce more penalties for these violent offenders.

He will impose the harshest penalties possible on “former” law-abiding firearms owners – because there will be no legal ownership of firearms if Trudeau wins this next election.

The challenge we face is that we truly are between a rock and a hard place.

We know a re-elected Liberal government will destroy our history, our longstanding culture of safety and the hunting traditions we’ve enjoyed since before Canada was a nation.

We also know that political parties who claim support of licensed firearms owners take us for granted.

They think we have nowhere else to go.

They’re wrong.

We could go home, like we did in 2019 after Erin O’Toole flip-flopped on us.

Their assumption can lead to arrogance, as we’ve seen from past leaders and leadership contenders of Canada’s right-of-center parties.

CSSA President Diane Town is both unique and representative of CSSA members across Canada, and firearms owners in general.

Every election, she works hard for the candidate she supports in her riding. This includes placing a 4×8 billboard on her property, which is the closest property to the polling station down the street.

This prominent display is of great benefit to the candidate Ms. Town supports.

Like many of Canada’s 2.3 million licensed firearms owners, she is tired of being taken for granted.

Like most of us, she wants the politicians she supports during the election to support her after the election by passing legislation to protect her interests, and repeal legislation passed by previous governments to destroy her interests.

This shouldn’t be a big ask, but after a decade of promises made and elections blundered through, it feels like a huge ask as we head into this next election – either this year or next.

The hard truth is this. Only one political party stands a chance of defeating Trudeau’s Liberal machine. Voting for any other party – if your interests include legally owning and using firearms in Canada – is a vote for the Liberal Party.

We know some members get very angry when we state this fact, but our job is to view the world as it is, not as we would love it to be in our dreams.

The reality for CSSA is we will support any party THAT HAS A CHANCE TO FORM GOVERNMENT in the next federal election.

We will not support any party, despite their pleasantly-worded firearms policies, when they stand zero chance of getting a single Member of Parliament elected, let alone forming government.

Our challenge, then, is to support the leaders and the party that will – should they be elected to government – protect and defend our interests.

Promises are cheap. Every politician from every party makes them by the hundreds before and during an election campaign.

Witness Erin O’Toole. One flip-flop from him and his campaign derailed and for him, and us, the election was over.

All we ask is for politicians to keep their promise to us.

We will, because our backs are against the wall, do what gun owners have always done.

We will work hard for the candidates who support us and our way of life and we will pray they keep their promises after the election is over.

But the upcoming election may be the last chance for them, because it may be our last chance to remain lawful gun owners.

For the candidates we support, it may well be the last time we ever listen to their promises or devote our most precious resources – our time, our money and our talent – to them.

Today (January 17), the Liberal Party sent out an email proudly promoting their upcoming Days of Action. They will be knocking on doors and talking to people, spreading the same, tired Liberal Lies they’ve promoted for the past ten years…

And people will believe them because believing the lie is easier than facing the hard truth: Trudeau and his Liberal party are not capable of leading this country.

But Trudeau will not quietly walk off into a winter’s night, no matter how much we may wish he would. He will fight with every tool at his command to undermine Canadians who believe in common sense, personal responsibility, and our proud Canadian heritage.

Our challenge is to rise up one more time and, this time, beat him at his own game.

CSSA is up to the task, as we are every election.

We challenge every CSSA member and every gun owner in this great country to stand with us and do the hard, daily work that it takes to win this next election.

And, if our hopes, dreams and prayers are answered, when the last vote is counted we will be rid of Trudeau and his hatred of the country we love.

On that day, our only question will be…

Will the people we poured our hearts and souls into winning that election keep their promises to us?