Bill Blair, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, is seen at Toronto City Hall in the summer of 2018. He is a strong proponent of the Liberal government's sweeping firearms ban. (Bernard Weil/Toronto Star)

A new Liberal plan to include a Canadian version of controversial U.S. “red flag” laws to widen avenues for seizing firearms from gun owners at risk of violence is under criticism from a leading gun-control advocate as well as the head of a leading firearm rights lobby.

Heidi Rathjen, a coordinator of the Montreal-based PolySesouvient, says the measure would “not change anything” in terms of stricter control unless resources for firearm officers and police are strengthened to enforce Firearms Act and Criminal Code measures that already provide authority to revoke firearm licences and restrict the ability to possess firearms.

Rathjen, a leading member of the group that formed to counter gun violence after the 1989 shooting death of 14 women at the Polytechnique engineering school, called on the government to first put into force key sections of gun-safety legislation the Liberal government passed through Parliament last June.

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The measures, including widened background checks, mandatory licence validation and maintenance of sales records, are to be put into force by cabinet only after required systems and infrastructure are ready, the government has said.

The head of the Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights also argues existing laws already provide this sort of protection for police, as well as ordinary citizens, who encounter a threat of gun violence and fear for their safety or the safety of others.

“Police can seize firearms for any reason if they feel public safety is a concern,” Giltaca, a certified instructor under the Canadian Firearms Program, told iPolitics.

He referred to sections of the Firearms Act and the Criminal code that set out grounds for police or firearms officers to seek gun seizure rulings in provincial courts.

“Police can seize firearms for any reason if they feel public safety is a concern,” said Giltaca. “It happens all the time, Canada has red flag laws right now, and have for decades.”

Public Safety Minister Bill Blair disclosed the surprise initiative in an interview with The Globe and Mail that was published on Monday.

The Globe and Mail story cited a longstanding policy of the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians calling for the establishment of a law that would allow physicians to skirt privacy laws that prevent doctors from notifying police if patients show suicidal or violent thoughts and own guns.

A leader within the association, Dr. Alan Drummond, said doctors cannot notify police unless patients show an immediate threat to themselves or others.

“This may end up being the same kind of feel good, sounds good measure as the beefed-up background checks in Bill C-71,” said Rathjen, referring to the bill that received royal assent seven months ago but whose gun safety measures are not yet in effect.

“This measure would be effective if it is accompanied by substantial resources as well as clear directives to prioritize public safety over the gun-owning privileges of individuals,” Rathjen said.

Giltaca told iPolitics any citizen could now call in a safety concern for any reason by dialling a Canadian Firearms Centre toll-free number and challenged a reporter to confirm it by calling the number.

Dennis Young, a former member of the RCMP who conducted firearms research for a Conservative MP, contacted iPolitics Tuesday to point out a reference to continuous firearm tracking in a 2016 annual RCMP report on the Canadian Firearms Centre.

The excerpt confirmed a Firearms Interest Police tracking system enters all gun-related events by licensed owners into the RCMP Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC), accessible to police across the country.

Blair’s office confirmed to iPolitics that the “red flag” legislation would also allow ordinary citizens to also go to a provincial court to order firearm seizures if they are aware of a potential threat to safety.

“Too often, the presence of a firearm can make a dangerous situation deadly,” said a spokesperson for the office.

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“Our government wants to empower not just the police, but doctors, individuals in domestic abuse situations, communities, and families to raise a flag on people who pose a risk to themselves or an identifiable group, ensuring they do not have access to firearms,” said the spokesperson, who did not want to be identified.