Justice minister under fire for t-shirt
Posted Aug 28, 2014 04:45:06 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
OTTAWA — There’s plenty of political fire against Canada’s justice minister, after a picture surfaced of Peter MacKay wearing a controversial t-shirt.
The black shirt has a maple leaf in the middle with one half shaped like a rifle, and the words “no compromise” underneath.
The shirt is for a group called the National Firearms Association, which has been lobbying the government to get rid of restrictions on military-style semi-automatic weapons, and to scrap the licencing and registration systems for hand guns.
In the photo, the Minister is with an NFA employee and a veteran of Afghanistan.
In a statement, MacKay says the vet asked him to put on the shirt. He says he did so to support our troops.
The NDP is upset by the photo and MacKay’s actions, saying this minister is supposed to be the one upholding our gun laws, not advocating their destruction.
“It shows that Minister MacKay, once again, has very, very poor judgement,” said Charlie Angus, NDP ethics critic. “And is simply, I don’t think, mature enough to handle an important portfolio like the Justice Department.”
MacKay’s statement also said he supports safe and sensible gun laws, and that the government is working on legislation to stand up for law abiding hunters farmers and sport shooters.
