Social media conspiracies are rampant after a recent uncovering of a government order for  “Programmable Hydraulic Guillotines.”

Is the government really buying guillotines? Yes they are. But is it French Revolution style guillotines? Is it a submission technique in the UFC?

No, thankfully it's not. The “guillotines” are actually meant for paper cutting. The order, intended for use by Public Services and Procurements and Statistics Canada, is simply a paper cutting device, according to the manufacturer:

“A guillotine is a paper cutter, it's not like French guillotine cutting heads off, it's a paper-cutting machine... it's how you make business cards, it's how you make all kinds of things,” a representative of the manufacturer stated.

Simply searching for “hydraulic guillotine” on the manufacturer's website can put any nefarious theories to bed; such a search will bring up several paper cutters, all of which have the word “guillotine” in the description.