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REGINA – Saskatchewan says it would consider reducing its funding for the RCMP if the force wasto assist the federal government with its proposed firearms buyback program.
Public Safety Minister Christine Tell says all options are on the table.
She says her Saskatchewan Party government funds the RCMP in the province up to 70 per cent.
Tell wrote a letter earlier this year to the head of Saskatchewan’s RCMP, stating that her government would not support the police force using provincially funded resources to help confiscate firearms.
At the time, RCMP Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore said Mounties are service providers, not decision-makers, and any decisions over the buyback program is between the federal and provincial governments.
Under Ottawa’s proposed firearms buyback program, it would be mandatory for people to have their assault-style firearms rendered inoperable or have them discarded.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 2, 2022.
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