MONTREAL (AP) — A Quebec court has delivered a stinging rebuke to Canada's conservative federal government over a bill that scrapped a law requiring the registration of rifles and shotguns.
The verdict Monday accused Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government of violating the principles of Canadian federalism by refusing to hand over registry data for Quebec. The French-speaking province wants to start its own provincial registry to replace the now-defunct federal one.
Justice Marc-Andre Blanchard gave the federal government 30 days to hand over the registry data for the province. The ruling applies only to Quebec but it is a crucial round in a broader legal battle that is expected to end up before the Supreme Court of Canada.
