The Province of Alberta challenged the constitutionality of the federal Firearms Act, which required the licensing and registration of all firearms, including ordinary rifles and shotguns.
Alberta argued the law fell under provincial jurisdiction over property and civil rights.
The Supreme Court of Canada upheld the legislation as a valid exercise of Parliament's criminal law power.
The Court found the pith and substance of the law was directed to enhancing public safety by controlling access to firearms through prohibitions and penalties, and its effects on provincial jurisdiction were merely incidental.
