Gun suit still far off

IQALUIT — Nunavut Tunngavik’s court date with Ottawa over the new federal gun law is still months away.

According to John Merritt, a legal advisor in NTI’s Ottawa office, the case is still in its early stages, with no court date in sight.

NTI is suing the federal government over the Firearms Act, arguing that the law violates the 1993 Nunavut land claims agreement, which guarantees Inuit the right to hunt without licences or restrictions.

“We’re still in the exchange of background documents, and that process has to play out before you get into an actual court day,” Merritt said in a telephone interview Tuesday.

He said NTI still hopes the case will come before the courts this year. “But the courts obviously speak for themselves when it comes to setting dates,” he said.