Ontario urges federal government to legalize pepper spray for self-defence

Ontario Premier Doug Ford says that people should be allowed to carry pepper spray to defend themselves ‘when some crazy nut comes after you.’

Ontario is calling on the federal government to legally allow people to carry and use pepper spray for self-defence.

Ontario Attorney General Doug Downey made the request in a letter to his federal counterpart, federal Justice Minister Sean Fraser, in a letter on Saturday.

By legalizing the use of pepper spray for self-defence, Downey wrote that it would give “vulnerable, law-abiding citizens a practical, immediate tool to defend themselves.”

Currently, under the Criminal Code, pepper spray is considered a prohibited weapon when used on people.

A prohibited weapon is defined as “any device designed to be used to injure, immobilize or otherwise incapacitate any person by the discharge therefrom of tear gas, Mace or other gas, or any liquid, spray, powder or other substance that is capable of injuring, immobilizing or otherwise incapacitating any person.”

In 2021, the Alberta government made a similar request and the federal government rejected it, saying in a letter that “all weapons that are prohibited have been prohibited for a reason.”

“When confronted with a problem, the solution cannot simply be to increase accessibility to prohibited weapons. This can actually lead to further violence,” their statement read.

CP24 and CTV News have reached out to Minister Fraser but have not received a response yet.

Downey is also calling on the federal government to institute mandatory collection of the DNA of a person arrested for sexual offences.

“This will accelerate investigations and get dangerous criminals off the streets sooner, while safeguarding the privacy rights of the innocent,” he wrote, noting that if the person is acquitted or there is no conviction, the sample is automatically destroyed.

Downey is also proposing that the federal government pursue victim notification when there is a match in the DNA database in sexual offence cases, so survivors are informed, supported and protected.

“We are urging the federal government to address Ontario’s calls for change and take renewed action by considering these new measures that would help hold offenders accountable, protect communities across our nation and keep criminals off the streets,” he wrote.