Let everyone carry pepper spray, Madu suggests

Alberta's justice minister is asking the federal government to amend the Criminal Code to allow people to carry and use pepper spray in self-defence.

“I suggest consideration be given to allowing individuals, including vulnerable persons, to carry capsaicin spray, commonly known as `pepper spray,' for self-defence,” reads a letter written by Justice Minister and Solicitor General Kaycee Madu.

“As you are aware, pepper spray is currently a prohibited weapon. It is sadly ironic that a vulnerable person carrying pepper spray for self-defence could quite possibly receive a longer sentence than her attacker.”

In an interview with Postmedia, Madu noted the recent hate-motivated attacks on Albertans, “especially defenceless minority women.”

“We have done everything we can within provincial jurisdiction to deal with this issue. For example, we established the Alberta Security Infrastructure Program, we established the hate-crime co-ordination unit, we set up the hatecrime liaison office,” Madu said.

“Now that we have put those things in place, I think it's important for us to then ask ourselves, what can the federal government do here?”

Madu said the federal government is responsible for the Criminal Code, and so he is calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to amend the code to allow for the use of pepper spray as a means of defence.

“I think when you are a vulnerable woman who is faced with an attack by folks that you don't know, where they're coming from, the question is, what tool (is) out there, what type of empowerment can we provide to them that would help them ward off the attackers?” he said. “I don't think anyone out there would doubt that pepper spray is an effective tool ...”