The applicant, George Fritz, sought a reference hearing under s.74(1) of the Firearms Act after his firearms were reclassified from restricted to prohibited by Orders-in-Council SOR/2020-96, leading to the nullification of his registration certificates.
He argued that the Registrar of Firearms' letter constituted a "revocation" of his certificates, triggering his right to a reference.
The Attorney General of Canada moved to dismiss the application, contending that the Registrar's actions were merely informational, and the nullification occurred by operation of law, not a discretionary decision by the Registrar.
The court, following a preponderance of judicial thinking, agreed with the Attorney General, finding that the Registrar's communication was informational and did not constitute a "decision" to revoke.
Consequently, the court lacked jurisdiction under s.74(1) to hear the reference, and the applicant's request was dismissed.
