Manitoba Government expresses frustration over ongoing machete sales by online retailers

Manitoba’s government has expressed frustration over Amazon and Walmart Canada’s failure to comply with requests to restrict online sales of machetes and long-bladed weapons.

Despite two letters sent by the province — in December 2024 and February 2025 — they say the online giants have not responded.

The new provincial law, which came into effect at the end of December, requires in-store retailers to sell machetes and other long-bladed weapons only to adults with photo ID and that the weapons be stored in a secure manner.

However, the law does not extend to online sales, meaning Manitobans can still purchase these items from Amazon and Walmart without age verification or identification.

“The frustration is that ultimately online retailors are still selling these items into our community,” said Matt Wiebe, Minister of Justice.

“There is a real effect when we restrict the sale of these items and were asking online retailers to be responsive to that.”

Minister Wiebe expressed disappointment that these online retailers have ignored the province’s concerns. He emphasized that such sales should be restricted to help improve public safety, pointing to how other retailers, like Canadian Tire and Cabela’s, have voluntarily complied with similar regulations.

“We feel there’s a role for the federal government to play here we wrote them a letter in the fall, we want them to act as well,” said Wiebe.

Wayne Balcaen, the Progressive Conservative justice critic, criticized the exclusion of online sales from the provincial law.

“I fell this legislation was really rushed by the Justice Minster,” said Balcaen.

He argued that if in-store purchases are regulated, there should be similar controls for online sales, especially as more shopping shifts to the Internet. Balcaen also called for stronger federal legislation to address the issue more effectively.

“Any of the stores that are mandated in Manitoba should also have an obligation to follow this law because it’s law now”

Both Amazon and Walmart did not respond to CityNews’ request for comment.