OTTAWA—Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction Minister Bill Blair is slamming a Conservative MP for hosting a “Guns and Guinness” fundraiser last weekend.

In a statement to the Star, the former Toronto police chief said it is “deeply disappointing” that an opposition member would hold a firearms- and alcohol-themed event when Canada is seeing “seeing record levels of tragic homicides involving firearms.”

Blair’s parliamentary secretary, Montreal-area Liberal MP Peter Schiefke, also condemned the Nov. 17 event for including a teenage boy as an advertised guest. The boy authored a petition to Parliament earlier this year, calling on the Trudeau government to scrap its firearms legislation, Bill C-71, and “instead devote greater resources to policing in Canada.”

The event was hosted by Conservative MP Rachael Harder’s riding association in Lethbridge, Alta. Her website shows a digital flyer for the event, which has an image of a beer stein with suds bubbling on top, and invited people to buy tickets to go clay shooting with Harder, fellow Conservative MP Robert Sopuck and the boy who authored the petition. A barbecue with beer was held afterwards in a different location.

The flyer lists prices to attend: $50 for “just Guinness,” $75 for “Guns and Guinness,” or $60 to shoot and drink if you brought your own firearm and ammunition.

“That’s incredibly irresponsible, and it just reinforces the fact that (the Conservatives are) not taking this seriously,” Schiefke said Tuesday.

Harder brushed off Schiefke’s criticism and insisted the event was safe. She said everyone who participated in the sport shooting had their guns inspected and their licences confirmed, and those who didn’t bring their own firearms were coached and closely watched as they took part. The barbecue where beer was served started an hour later at a different location, she said.

“Of course it was done in a responsible manner,” Harder said. “It was a great opportunity for people to gain an education for proper firearms use.”

The back-and-forth comes as Liberals and Conservatives offer competing proposals to curb gun violence in Canada. The Trudeau government is contemplating bans on assault weapons and handguns in addition to measures included in its firearms bill, which is currently before the Senate, and money devoted to rooting out guns being smuggled across the border.

Speaking in Vancouver Tuesday, Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer accused the Liberals of restricting gun ownership for all Canadians instead of “taking aim at the real criminals.”

Scheer said a Conservative government would create mandatory jail time for people who knowingly possess illegally smuggled guns, and create a mandatory firearms ban for everyone convicted of a violent crime and those who sell legal guns into the black market.

Correction — November 21, 2018: This article was edited from a previous version that mistakenly said the Trudeau government is contemplating bans on automatic rifles and handguns. In fact, the Trudeau government is contemplating bans on assault weapons and handguns.

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