Manitoba Is Regulating Machetes. Could National Knife Control Be Next?

Police secure a crime scene near Northview Heights Secondary School in Toronto on Jan. 22, 2024, after at least one person was injured and a suspect was reportedly seen carrying a machete in the neighbourhood. The Canadian Press/Christopher Katsarov

Commentary

Chief Angela Levasseur of the Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation in remote northern Manitoba has a big knife problem. Machetes—foot-long, bush knives popular with campers and farmers—have become the weapon of choice for young gang members terrorizing her 3,500-member reserve.