Tony Bernardo is the Executive Director of the Canadian Shooting Sports Association(Editor's note: Although this contribution from the Canadian Shooting Sports Association deals with an Ontario political situation, the facts are applicable in Western Canada, especially where rural police responses are frequently too late to be useful.)There’s a quiet crisis unfolding in Canadian neighbourhoods. Good, law-abiding citizens — mothers, fathers, seniors, and working-class homeowners — are being dragged through the criminal justice system for doing what any decent person would do in the face of violence: they defended themselves and their families from evil.Last week, Ontario MPP Bobbi Ann Brady called for the adoption of U.S.-style Castle Doctrine in Canada.Brady’s proposal isn’t radical. It’s common sense. If someone breaks into your home, the law shouldn’t require you to run away or risk being criminally charged for fighting back..Ontario Premier Doug Ford agrees.“Someone breaks into your house and they're coming after your kids,” Ford said, “and they're coming after your spouse, you’re going to fight like you’ve never fought before. You’re going to use anything that you have, be it weapons, baseball bats, knives… you’re protecting your family.”Ford voiced concern about homeowners facing charges for confronting intruders. This isn’t hypothetical. Citizens are arrested, charged, and their lives are shattered — while actual criminals walk free..Unfortunately, the law is vague and ordinary Canadians are paying the price. Under Canada’s current self-defence laws, homeowners are subject to murky standards of what is considered reasonable force.Section 34 of the Criminal Code allows people to defend themselves if they believe force is necessary, but the threshold is unclear. Every police officer, prosecutor, and judge interprets Section 34 differently. That ambiguity has led to convictions of people who should never have faced charges.They weren't vigilantes. They were ordinary citizens doing what any reasonable person would do when confronted by a threat to their home or loved ones.However, as provincial premier, Doug Ford has the power, authority, and moral obligation to solve this problem.He can issue clear, binding instructions to Ontario prosecutors and law enforcement: “Do not charge or prosecute citizens who use proportional force to defend their homes, families, or legally occupied property.”This is a justice issue, not a guns issue. Citizens have the right to protect themselves, with or without a firearm. Your home is your sanctuary. The law should presume your innocence — not automatically criminalize your actions when you’re forced to defend it from violent offenders..A person should never have to hesitate in the face of danger because they’re afraid the police will arrest them and the Crown will throw the book at them afterward.Yet that’s exactly what’s happening. Meanwhile, the system bends over backwards to accommodate career criminals. It’s backward. It’s broken. And it needs to be fixed.We need policy that reflects reality. 'Castle Doctrine' is not an American invention. Until very recently, it was the law of the land in Canada.In R v. Ford, 2011 ONCA 592, Ontario’s Court of Appeal noted that:“Retreat is not a required element of self-defence under s. 34(2), nor is it even a factor to consider when the accused is attacked in his own home.”Castle Doctrine isn’t about encouraging violence. It’s about protecting citizens from prosecutorial overreach.It’s a clear, easily understood standard that affirms your right to stand your ground in your own home.And it aligns with centuries of legal tradition.Premier Ford can act now. He doesn’t need to pass legislation. He doesn’t need Ottawa’s permission. All Premier Ford must do is direct Ontario’s Crown prosecutors and police chiefs to stop criminalizing people who defend themselves, their families, and their homes from criminal attack.This isn’t about political theatre. This is about real lives destroyed, real families torn apart, real Canadians losing everything for daring to defend themselves.If you agree that no one should be arrested and prosecuted for protecting themselves in their own home, contact Premier Doug Ford today.Urge him to issue clear prosecutorial instructions to end this injustice immediately.Another man was convicted in Ontario last week for defending himself and his home. We’ll write about that case in the next few weeks, and the details will horrify you. You’ll be left asking the question we’re asking:“How can this happen in a western democratic country like Canada?”Let’s fix this before another innocent Canadian pays the price for doing what’s morally correct—and has the backing of hundreds of years of common law precedent.Your voice matters. Make it heard.We cannot allow good people’s lives to be destroyed because of vague laws and politically motivated prosecutions.Tony Bernardo is the Executive Director of the Canadian Shooting Sports Association.
