NATIONAL POST ONLINE
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/national/story.html?f=/stories/20010817/650835.html
August 17, 2001
Gun law stalls hunt in Nunavut
'They cannot buy bullets and cannot feed their families'
James Cudmore
National Post
The Canadian Firearms Centre has failed to provide newly mandated gun
licences to thousands of Inuit, some of whom have been waiting more than
year since they first applied, according to James Eetoolook, the president
of the powerful Nunavut land claims organization.
Mr. Eetoolook, who heads Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated, an organization
representing 22,000 beneficiaries of the Nunavut land claim agreement,
said the licences that he and thousands of other hunters applied for
before the Jan.1 cut-off date had not yet arrived.
"If I haven't received mine, I have to wonder how many others haven't
received theirs," Mr. Eetoolook said in a statement. Without the licences,
Northern gun-owners are unable to legally purchase ammunition and
participate in the summer hunts that provide meat for their families for
the winter.
"They cannot buy bullets and cannot feed their families," Mr. Eetoolook
said. "We estimate that as many as 40% of [Inuit] who applied for permits
have not received them yet.
"We have also heard of some people calling the Canadian Firearms Centre to
find out where their permit is and being told that they will have to apply
again because there is no record of their application," he added.
According to the legislation, residents of Canada must have a possession
licence in order to own or hold firearms and to purchase ammunition. In
addition, they must also apply for a possession and acquisition licence in
order to purchase new weapons.
In January, the Canadian Firearms Centre, the federal agency responsible
for implementing the restrictions of Bill C-68, issued temporary
possession and acquisition licences that expired at the end of June.
Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated is suing the federal government over Bill
C-68, the controversial Firearms Act, alleging the federal Justice
Department's showpiece legislation is in violation of the land claims
agreement that carved the new territory of Nunavut out of the Eastern
arctic.
In Edmonton yesterday, Michelle Snyder, a regional spokeswoman for the
firearms centre, said she was not sure how many applicants in Nunavut had
yet to receive their licences.
"I can't give you a number, but to say that people have not received them
yet, I can say yes," she said. "It's certainly a problem that we are
trying to address and we have all of our regional resources working on
clearing up these [outstanding] licences.
"Some of them are very easy to clear up. But if there are any safety
issues, that requires more time. But licences are being approved and
validated for all sorts of people every day."
In January, Anne McLellan, the federal Justice Minister, promised all
Canadians who applied for their licences before Dec. 3, 2000, would
receive them before their temporary permits expired at the end of June