Elections 2021
A federal election has been called and airsoft is on the verge of being banned in Canada. This February the Liberal Party of Canada introduced Bill C-21 which included a complete Airsoft prohibition. The airsoft community pushed back on this legislation, ASIC (Airsoft in Canada) and the FSAQ (Fédération Sportive d'Airsoft du Québec) convinced federal opposition parties that Airsoft is a safe sport that is beneficial to Canadian society and economy.
It was these opposition parties - Conservative Party of Canada, New Democratic Party, and Bloc Québécois - that held the Liberal Party of Canada to account on the issue of Airsoft during parliamentary debates of Bill C-21. The minority Liberal government was unable to pass this legislation as their minority status forced them to seek support from opposition parties.
With the announcement of the September 20th election, the Liberal Party of Canada seeks the 170 seats required to gain a majority government. Their success would likely mean the end of Airsoft as we know it. A Liberal majority government could, at any time during its 5-year mandate, choose to pass legislation banning Airsoft without input or consultation from the community or businesses, and without any compromise.
The stakes are real, and the consequences are severe. This is not an exaggeration—it is our reality. This business and many others will cease to exist, the employees will become jobless, the owners will lose everything.
The only way to prevent this is to ensure the Liberal Party of Canada does not gain a majority government, which current polling trajectories suggest may happen. We have to play spoiler. We urge you to research the 2019 election results in your riding, and check current election polls when deciding who to vote for. Whether you lean left or right, you have options in this election. We urge everyone to cast their votes strategically so that the Liberal Party of Canada is denied seats in Parliament.
If you want airsoft to exist next year, voting may not be enough. Each of us needs to become politically active for the next month and volunteer to assist the campaigns of our local opposition party candidates. Because campaigns have legally limited budgets, volunteer numbers play the most decisive role in deciding the outcome of elections in Canada.
One such district is Kitchener-Conestoga, right next to us. In the 2019 federal election. During the 2015 federal election, the Conservative Party of Canada won the riding by a margin of 0.5% of the vote. In 2019, it was reversed and the Liberal party of Canada won by 0.7%.
This is an electoral district that we, as a community, can flip back through volunteering and canvasing.
For assistance in finding other candidates and campaigns near you, reach out to Task Force 170.
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