43rd Parliament291Not answered before dissolutionAugust 15, 2021432-01130432-01130 (Justice)BradVisMission—Matsqui—Fraser CanyonConservativeBCJune 16, 2021June 2, 2021PETITION TO THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADAWHEREAS
  • The federal government has introduced Bill C-21, which includes sections prohibiting the majority of replica firearms, such as Airsoft guns, and embedding in legislation Order in Council P.C. 2020-298 of May 1, 2020 which prohibits and limits the possession of firearms listed therein;
  • Bill C-21 will criminalize hundreds of thousands of law-abiding Canadians for possessing legally obtained firearms;
  • Bill C-21 will financially devastate thousands of Canadians reliant on the sale of firearms for all or part of their income;
  • Hunting has a longstanding history in Canada, for both Indigenous and non-indigenous Canadians, and needlessly revoking citizens' firearms erases and discounts our history and traditions;
  • The vast majority of gun crimes are committed with illegally obtained firearms, and confiscating firearms from law abiding citizens does nothing to stop dangerous criminals and gangs who obtain their guns illegally;
THEREFORE:We, the undersigned citizens of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to stop targeting law abiding citizens for possessing legally obtained firearms, to protect the rights and freedoms of Canadians by ensuring firearms legislation is based on evidence not ideology, and to withdraw Bill C-21.
C-21, An Act to amend certain Acts and to make certain consequential amendments (firearms)Firearms
43rd Parliament291Not answered before dissolutionAugust 15, 2021432-01131432-01131 (Justice)BradVisMission—Matsqui—Fraser CanyonConservativeBCJune 16, 2021June 7, 2021PETITION TO THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADAWHEREAS
  • The federal government has introduced Bill C-21, which includes sections prohibiting the majority of replica firearms, such as Airsoft guns, and embedding in legislation Order in Council P.C. 2020-298 of May 1, 2020 which prohibits and limits the possession of firearms listed therein;
  • Bill C-21 will criminalize hundreds of thousands of law-abiding Canadians for possessing legally obtained firearms;
  • Bill C-21 will financially devastate thousands of Canadians reliant on the sale of firearms for all or part of their income;
  • Hunting has a longstanding history in Canada, for both Indigenous and non-indigenous Canadians, and needlessly revoking citizens' firearms erases and discounts our history and traditions;
  • The vast majority of gun crimes are committed with illegally obtained firearms, and confiscating firearms from law abiding citizens does nothing to stop dangerous criminals and gangs who obtain their guns illegally;
THEREFORE:We, the undersigned citizens of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to stop targeting law abiding citizens for possessing legally obtained firearms, to protect the rights and freedoms of Canadians by ensuring firearms legislation is based on evidence not ideology, and to withdraw Bill C-21.
C-21, An Act to amend certain Acts and to make certain consequential amendments (firearms)Firearms
43rd Parliament289Closed upon dissolutionAugust 15, 2021e-3249e-3249 (Democratic process)BlairZinkhanTomKmiecCalgary ShepardConservativeABMarch 12, 2021, at 4:48 p.m. (EDT)July 10, 2021, at 4:48 p.m. (EDT)July 12, 2021Petition to the <Addressee type="3" affiliationId="" mp-riding-display="1">Government of Canada</Addressee>Whereas:The Prime Minister seeks to expand his firearms confiscation regime through Bill C-21 and is driving a false narrative against law-abiding firearms owners;"Assault rifles", or fully automatic firearms, have been banned in Canada since 1977;The term "variant" used in Bill C-21 remains undefined in Canada's firearms framework;The list of firearms to be prohibited is arbitrary and not based on functionality or other clear criteria;Bill C-21 would ban airsoft guns; effectively ending tactical simulation sports in Canada and cause irreparable economic harm to that industry;The majority of firearms used in violent crimes are obtained illegally or are smuggled into Canada and criminals who have illegally obtained firearms will not be impacted by Bill C-21;Legal firearms owners in Canada are subject to daily "continuous eligibility screening” to maintain their license;Before the May 1, 2020, Order in Council, Canada was already a global leader in comprehensive legislation surrounding responsible and legal private firearms ownership;International data demonstrates that confiscation regimes would not stop firearms violence in Canada; andThe federal government is ignoring community advocates, as well as current and former police officers and executives, who have stated that firearms bans are ineffective.We, the undersigned, citizens of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to immediately scrap the May 1, 2020, Order in Council and Bill C-21, and pass legislation that will target criminals, those who illegally obtain firearms, international smuggling operations and fund community-based gun violence prevention programs.C-21, An Act to amend certain Acts and to make certain consequential amendments (firearms)FirearmsParliamentary democracy43rd Parliament223Government response tabledApril 26, 2021e-2574e-2574 (Democratic process)JesseFaszerHon.MichelleRempel GarnerCalgary Nose HillConservativeABMay 5, 2020, at 9:20 a.m. (EDT)September 2, 2020, at 9:20 a.m. (EDT)March 11, 2021April 26, 2021September 2, 2020Petition to the <Addressee type="6" affiliationId="" mp-riding-display="1">Prime Minister</Addressee>Whereas:The Prime Minister’s firearms confiscation regime, undemocratically imposed without debate during a pandemic while Parliament is suspended, is an assault on Canadian democracy;Canada already has stringent regulations and comprehensive legislation related to firearms ownership;Canada has millions of responsible, law-abiding firearms owners;Data shows that the confiscation regime would not stop firearms violence in Canada;The majority of firearms used in violent crimes are obtained illegally and/or are smuggled into Canada;Legal firearms owners are strong advocates for measures that will actually prevent firearms violence;Legal firearms owners in Canada are vetted on a daily basis through the CPIC system;The Prime Minister is using the emotion of the tragedy in Nova Scotia to impose this confiscation regime even though all of the firearms the murderer used were illegally obtained;The list of firearms to be confiscated is arbitrary and not based on functionality;“Assault rifles”, or fully automatic firearms, have been banned in Canada since 1977;Criminals who have illegally obtained firearms will not be impacted by this confiscation regime; andThe federal government is abandoning evidenced-based decision making as it relates to preventing firearm violence.We, the undersigned, citizens of Canada, call upon the Prime Minister to immediately scrap his government’s May 1, 2020, Order in Council decision related to confiscating legally owned firearms and instead pass legislation that will target criminals, stop the smuggling of firearms into Canada, go after those who illegally acquire firearms, and apologize to legal firearms owners in Canada.
Response by the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency PreparednessSigned by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): Joël Lightbound, M.PCanadians deserve to live in a society where they can feel safe and secure from gun violence. The Government ofCanada has prohibited assault-style firearms as they are not reasonable for hunting or sport shooting purposes given the inherent danger that they pose to public safety. The prohibition limits access to the most dangerous firearms that are characterized by their design and their capability of inflicting significant harm to Canadians. The prohibition reduces the number and availability of assault style firearms and other firearms that exceed safe civilian use in Canada, and lowers the possibility of these firearms being diverted to the illegal market.For decades chiefs of police had been advocating for additional restrictions, and even a prohibition, of military-styleassault rifles. The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP) previously passed a resolution declaring that military assault rifles were produced for the “sole purpose of killing people in large numbers” and asked the Minister of Justice to “ban all military assault rifles except for law enforcement and military purposes.” In September 2019, the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police expressed support for a prohibition on all military-designed assault rifles, averring that “these weapons have no place in our communities and should be reserved for use by Canada’s military and law enforcement.” The current president of the CACP even declared that “Canadian Chiefs believe that this finds balance, it ensures the safety of our members when they respond to calls for service.”Through Section 117.15 of the Criminal Code, Parliament provides the Government with the authority to prescribe the classification of firearms. We have exercised that authority to benefit the safety and security of Canadians, within limits set by Parliament. The affected firearms are prohibited as they (1) have semi-automatic action with sustain rapid-fire capability (tactical/military design with large magazine capacity), (2) are of modern design, and (3) are present in large volumes in the Canadian market. This authority has existed for decades and has been exercised several times over the years, including by the previous Conservative Government.We made a promise to Canadians and we have delivered. We have been clear that our prohibition will not impact the activities of law-abiding hunters or sport shooters. We have also signaled our intent to implement a buyback program that will provide fair compensation to affected owners. We are looking at a range of options, and will work with Parliament as well as the provinces and territories to get this right for law-abiding gun owners and businesses.While the prohibition is a crucial first step, it is only one of a series of measures that we are taking to target firearm-related crime in this country. We know that firearms-related violence is complex and must be addressed comprehensively. That is why our Government introduced Bill C-21, which proposes amendments to the Firearms Act and the CriminalCode that would build on the Government’s previous actions to promote the safety of Canadians while protecting the privileges associated with lawful firearms ownership. These include:
  • bringing into law “red and yellow flag” regimes that would give anyone - medical practitioners, family members, neighbours and victims of gender-based, intimate-partner, and family violence - the ability to seek a temporary licence suspension or removal of firearms from those who pose a danger to themselves or others in cases of domestic violence, suicide, or hate motivated crime;
  • creating new offences for altering a cartridge magazine, depicting violence in advertising;
  • tightening restrictions on replica firearms and the importation of non-prohibited ammunition;
  • increasing the exchange of intelligence between the RCMP and local police of jurisdiction;
  • providing firearms owners affected by the May 1 assault-style firearms prohibition with disposition options including a strict non-permissive storage regime; and
  • helping create safer communities by supporting the efforts of municipalities who choose to take action to restrict handguns within their boundaries.
In recognition of the public safety threat posed by gun smuggling, the Bill also includes provisions that would increase the maximum penalties for trafficking and smuggling offences, moving them from 10 years to 14 years imprisonment. We welcome the support of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police who “wholeheartedly endorse all efforts to strengthen border controls and impose stronger penalties to combat firearms smuggling and trafficking”.Just recently, we announced that we will be re-establishing the Cross-Border Crime Forum with the U.S. while exploring the creation of a cross-border task force which to address gun smuggling and trafficking.Following hundreds of millions of dollars in cuts to our agencies by the previous Conservative government, we are also rebuilding capacity. The CBSA is receiving $51.5 million over five years through the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence to enhance its capacity to stem the flow of inadmissible travellers and illegal firearms entering Canada at vulnerable points of entry and through postal facilities. It is also procuring equipment to enhance air cargo security and pallet imaging, intelligence collection and production abilities, and improving border operations through measures aimed at enhancing the CBSA’s capacity to detect and interdict illegal firearms at the border.In addition, the RCMP is receiving $34.5 million through the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence to enhance its capacity to conduct investigations related to the criminal use of firearms as well as to provide law enforcement with enhanced access to training, technology and data to keep illicit firearms out of Canada and detect and report on criminal gang activities. The RCMP has created the Integrated Criminal Firearms Initiative to expand and enhance existing services available to support firearms investigations nationwide. This includes providing anonymous online capabilities to investigate firearms trafficking and smuggling, conducting physical firearms inspections, enhancing analytical capacity to develop and produce actionable intelligence, and supporting stakeholder outreach among partners to advance focused initiatives. The RCMP is also prioritizing strategic intelligence analysis related to street gangs and the procurement of advanced technologies to expedite and further support the analysis of ballistics and illicit manufacturing of firearms.We are also making important investments in our communities to reduce gun and gang violence.  More than $200 million is now flowing directly to provinces and territories to target initiatives that best meet the unique needs of individual communities to advance efforts in areas of prevention, gang exit, outreach and awareness training as well as enhanced intelligence sharing and law enforcement capacity. With the funding allocations, jurisdictions have made investments to support new law enforcement activities including specialized training and education initiatives and improving data collection and information sharing. Provinces and territories have also prioritized a number of prevention intervention initiatives. We will help create safer communities by giving young people the opportunities and resources they need to resist lives of crime by providing an additional $250 million over five years to municipalities and Indigenous communities to support youth programming.Our government will continue working to enhance public safety by focusing on prevention, effective law enforcement and strong community partnerships
Response by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada Signed by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): The Honourable David LamettiThe ability to prescribe firearms as prohibited or restricted by regulation has existed for several decades. The May 1, 2020, changes to prohibit certain assault-style firearms were done as part of a larger strategy to combat gun crime and reflects the Government’s mandate commitment to ban assault style firearms, address gun violence and keep Canadians safe. Canada has experienced a number of mass shootings in major metropolitan areas such as Quebec City, Montreal and Toronto. Whether at home or abroad, the deadliest mass shootings have been commonly perpetrated with assault-style firearms. These events contributed to growing concern for public safety and increased public demand for measures to address gun violence and mass shootings, particularly to address the use of assault-style firearms that are not suitable for civilian use.An accompanying two-year Amnesty Order to protect law-abiding gun owners from criminal prosecution until they can come into compliance with the law was also made on the same date.On February 16, 2021, Bill C- 21, An Act to amend certain Acts and to make certain consequential amendments (firearms) was introduced. If passed, it would provide an option for owners of the newly prohibited firearms to keep their firearm. However, possession would be subject to strict conditions including no permitted use, no import, no further acquisition, no sale and no bequeathal in addition to other requirements. The Government has also announced its intention to introduce a buyback program.Reducing firearms smuggling and trafficking into Canada is a key part of the Government’s fight to reduce access to illegal firearms. Smuggled firearms make their way into the hands of criminals and are often used to commit serious offences tied to organized crime, such as drug trafficking. That is why Bill C-21 proposes to increase maximum penalties of imprisonment from 10 to 14 years for firearms smuggling, trafficking and other related offences.The Government is also implementing effective measures with respect to strengthening firearm regulations and gun and gang initiatives that prioritize public safety. In the 2020 Fall Economic Statement, the Government committed $250 million over five years to directly support municipalities and Indigenous communities to help protect Canadians from gun violence and support anti-gang programming and prevention programs for youth-at-risk.
FirearmsParliamentary democracy
43rd Parliament223Government response tabledApril 12, 2021432-00596432-00596 (Democratic process)KerryDiotteEdmonton GriesbachConservativeABFebruary 26, 2021April 12, 2021February 4, 2021Petition to the House of CommonsWe, the undersigned citizens of Canada, draw the attention of the House of Commons to the following: Whereas, the Liberal government's firearms regulations brought in through the use of order-in-council fails to respect lawful firearms owners. Whereas, the vast majority of firearms owners' respect Canada's firearm laws and responsibly own and use firearms in a highly regulated manner. Whereas, evidence shows the vast majority of gun violence in Canada is perpetrated with illegal guns.Whereas, creating new laws and new bans won't stop criminals who are already breaking existing laws. Whereas, despite Liberal's promises their firearm ban includes several shotguns used for hunting.Whereas the current system is arbitrary. “Military-style assault rifles” is not a legal definition in Canada, and the government can arbitrarily add new firearms to the list without democratic debate in Parliament or public consultation. Whereas smuggling of firearms into Canada is and remains a major issue. Therefore we, the undersigned, call on the House of Commons to take the following actions to address the situation:1. To ensure all changes to firearms regulations are brought before the House of Commons for public debate. 2. That firearms regulations target the criminal use of firearms not hundreds of thousands of lawful gun owners. 3. That policies are enacted to prevent the illegal smuggling of firearms into Canada.
Response by the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency PreparednessSigned by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): Joël Lightbound, M.PCanadians deserve to live in a society where they can feel safe and secure from gun violence. The Government ofCanada has prohibited assault-style firearms as they are not reasonable for hunting or sport shooting purposes given theinherent danger that they pose to public safety. The prohibition limits access to the most dangerous firearms that arecharacterized by their design and their capability of inflicting significant harm to Canadians. The prohibition reduces thenumber and availability of assault style firearms and other firearms that exceed safe civilian use in Canada, and lowersthe possibility of these firearms being diverted to the illegal market.For decades chiefs of police had been advocating for additional restrictions, and even a prohibition, of military-styleassault rifles. The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police previously passed a resolution declaring that military assaultrifles were produced for the “sole purpose of killing people in large numbers” and asked the Minister of Justice to “banall military assault rifles except for law enforcement and military purposes.” Last September the Ontario Association ofChiefs of Police expressed support for a prohibition on all military-designed assault rifles, averring that “these weaponshave no place in our communities and should be reserved for use by Canada’s military and law enforcement.” The current president of the CACP even declared that “Canadian Chiefs believe that this finds balance, it ensures the safety of our members when they respond to calls for service.”Through Section 117.15 of the Criminal Code, Parliament provides the Government with the authority to prescribe the classification of firearms. We have exercised that authority to benefit the safety and security of Canadians, within limits set by Parliament. The affected firearms are prohibited as they (1) have semi-automatic action with sustain rapid-fire capability (tactical/military design with large magazine capacity), (2) are of modern design, and (3) are present in large volumes in the Canadian market. This authority has existed for decades and has been exercised several times over theyears including by the previous Conservative Government.We made a promise to Canadians and we have delivered. We have been clear that our prohibition will not impact the activities of law-abiding hunters or sport shooters. We have also signaled our intent to implement a buyback program that will provide fair compensation to affected owners. We are looking at a range of options, and will work with Parliament as well as the provinces and territories to get this right for law-abiding gun owners and businesses.While the prohibition is a crucial first step, it is only one of a series of measures that we are taking to target firearm-related crime in this country. We know that firearms-related violence is complex and must be addressed comprehensively. That is why our Government introduced Bill C-21, which proposes amendments to the Firearms Act and the CriminalCode that would build on the Government’s previous actions to promote the safety of Canadians while protecting the privileges associated with lawful firearms ownership. These include:•             bringing into law “red and yellow flag” regimes that would give anyone - medical practitioners, family members, neighbours and victims of gender-based, intimate-partner, and family violence - the ability to seek a temporary licence suspension or removal of firearms from those who pose a danger to themselves or others in cases of domestic violence, suicide, or hate motivated crime;•             creating new offences for altering a cartridge magazine, depicting violence in advertising;•             tightening restrictions on replica firearms and the importation of non-prohibited ammunition;•             increasing the exchange of intelligence between the RCMP and local police of jurisdiction;•             providing firearms owners affected by the May 1 assault-style firearms prohibition with disposition options including a strict non-permissive storage regime; and•             helping create safer communities by supporting the efforts of municipalities who choose to take action to restrict handguns within their boundaries.In recognition of the public safety threat posed by gun smuggling, the Bill also includes provisions that would increase the maximum penalties for trafficking and smuggling offences, moving them from 10 years to 14 years imprisonment. We welcome the support of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police who “wholeheartedly endorse all efforts to strengthen border controls and impose stronger penalties to combat firearms smuggling and trafficking”.Let us not forget that during C-71 study at committee, Conservative MPs proposed amendments that proposed there be no punishment for “false statements to procure licences” and “false statements to procure customs confirmations”— so, importing or trafficking. Just recently, we announced that we will be re-establishing the Cross-Border Crime Forum with the U.S. while exploring the creation of a cross-border task force which to address gun smuggling and trafficking.Following hundreds of millions of dollars in cuts to our agencies by the previous Conservative government, we arerebuilding capacity. The CBSA is receiving $51.5 million over five years through the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence to enhance its capacity to stem the flow of inadmissible travellers and illegal firearms entering Canada at vulnerable points of entry and through postal facilities. It is also procuring equipment to enhance air cargo security and pallet imaging, intelligence collection and production abilities, and improving border operations through measures aimed at enhancing the CBSA’s capacity to detect and interdict illegal firearms at the border.In addition, the RCMP is receiving $34.5 million through the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence to enhance its capacity to conduct investigations related to the criminal use of firearms as well as to provide law enforcement with enhanced access to training, technology and data to keep illicit firearms out of Canada and detect and report on criminal gang activities. The RCMP has created the Integrated Criminal Firearms Initiative to expand and enhance existing services available to support firearms investigations nationwide. This includes providing anonymous online capabilities to investigate firearms trafficking and smuggling, conducting physical firearms inspections, enhancing analytical capacity to develop and produce actionable intelligence, and supporting stakeholder outreach among partners to advance focused initiatives. The RCMP is also prioritizing strategic intelligence analysis related to street gangs and the procurement of advanced technologies to expedite and further support the analysis of ballistics and illicit manufacturing of firearms.We are also making important investments in our communities to reduce gun and gang violence.  More than $200 million is now flowing directly to provinces and territories to target initiatives that best meet the unique needs of individual communities to advance efforts in areas of prevention, gang exit, outreach and awareness training as well as enhanced intelligence sharing and law enforcement capacity. With the funding allocations, jurisdictions have made investments to support new law enforcement activities including specialized training and education initiatives and improving data collection and information sharing. PTs have also prioritized a number of prevention intervention initiatives. We will help create safer communities by giving young people the opportunities and resources they need to resist lives of crime by providing an additional $250 million over five years to municipalities and Indigenous communities to support youth programming.Our Government will continue working to enhance public safety by focusing on prevention, effective law enforcement and strong community partnerships.
FirearmsParliamentary democracy
43rd Parliament223Government response tabledApril 12, 2021432-00595432-00595 (Democratic process)KerryDiotteEdmonton GriesbachConservativeABFebruary 26, 2021April 12, 2021February 12, 2021Petition to the House of CommonsWe, the undersigned citizens of Canada, draw the attention of the House of Commons to the following: Whereas, the Liberal government's firearms regulations brought in through the use of order-in-council fails to respect lawful firearms owners. Whereas, the vast majority of firearms owners' respect Canada's firearm laws and responsibly own and use firearms in a highly regulated manner. Whereas, evidence shows the vast majority of gun violence in Canada is perpetrated with illegal guns.Whereas, creating new laws and new bans won't stop criminals who are already breaking existing laws. Whereas, despite Liberal's promises their firearm ban includes several shotguns used for hunting.Whereas the current system is arbitrary. “Military-style assault rifles” is not a legal definition in Canada, and the government can arbitrarily add new firearms to the list without democratic debate in Parliament or public consultation. Whereas smuggling of firearms into Canada is and remains a major issue. Therefore we, the undersigned, call on the House of Commons to take the following actions to address the situation:1. To ensure all changes to firearms regulations are brought before the House of Commons for public debate. 2. That firearms regulations target the criminal use of firearms not hundreds of thousands of lawful gun owners. 3. That policies are enacted to prevent the illegal smuggling of firearms into Canada.
Response by the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency PreparednessSigned by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): Joël Lightbound, M.PCanadians deserve to live in a society where they can feel safe and secure from gun violence. The Government ofCanada has prohibited assault-style firearms as they are not reasonable for hunting or sport shooting purposes given theinherent danger that they pose to public safety. The prohibition limits access to the most dangerous firearms that arecharacterized by their design and their capability of inflicting significant harm to Canadians. The prohibition reduces thenumber and availability of assault style firearms and other firearms that exceed safe civilian use in Canada, and lowersthe possibility of these firearms being diverted to the illegal market.For decades chiefs of police had been advocating for additional restrictions, and even a prohibition, of military-styleassault rifles. The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police previously passed a resolution declaring that military assaultrifles were produced for the “sole purpose of killing people in large numbers” and asked the Minister of Justice to “banall military assault rifles except for law enforcement and military purposes.” Last September the Ontario Association ofChiefs of Police expressed support for a prohibition on all military-designed assault rifles, averring that “these weaponshave no place in our communities and should be reserved for use by Canada’s military and law enforcement.” The current president of the CACP even declared that “Canadian Chiefs believe that this finds balance, it ensures the safety of our members when they respond to calls for service.”Through Section 117.15 of the Criminal Code, Parliament provides the Government with the authority to prescribe the classification of firearms. We have exercised that authority to benefit the safety and security of Canadians, within limits set by Parliament. The affected firearms are prohibited as they (1) have semi-automatic action with sustain rapid-fire capability (tactical/military design with large magazine capacity), (2) are of modern design, and (3) are present in large volumes in the Canadian market. This authority has existed for decades and has been exercised several times over theyears including by the previous Conservative Government.We made a promise to Canadians and we have delivered. We have been clear that our prohibition will not impact the activities of law-abiding hunters or sport shooters. We have also signaled our intent to implement a buyback program that will provide fair compensation to affected owners. We are looking at a range of options, and will work with Parliament as well as the provinces and territories to get this right for law-abiding gun owners and businesses.While the prohibition is a crucial first step, it is only one of a series of measures that we are taking to target firearm-related crime in this country. We know that firearms-related violence is complex and must be addressed comprehensively. That is why our Government introduced Bill C-21, which proposes amendments to the Firearms Act and the CriminalCode that would build on the Government’s previous actions to promote the safety of Canadians while protecting the privileges associated with lawful firearms ownership. These include:•             bringing into law “red and yellow flag” regimes that would give anyone - medical practitioners, family members, neighbours and victims of gender-based, intimate-partner, and family violence - the ability to seek a temporary licence suspension or removal of firearms from those who pose a danger to themselves or others in cases of domestic violence, suicide, or hate motivated crime;•             creating new offences for altering a cartridge magazine, depicting violence in advertising;•             tightening restrictions on replica firearms and the importation of non-prohibited ammunition;•             increasing the exchange of intelligence between the RCMP and local police of jurisdiction;•             providing firearms owners affected by the May 1 assault-style firearms prohibition with disposition options including a strict non-permissive storage regime; and•             helping create safer communities by supporting the efforts of municipalities who choose to take action to restrict handguns within their boundaries.In recognition of the public safety threat posed by gun smuggling, the Bill also includes provisions that would increase the maximum penalties for trafficking and smuggling offences, moving them from 10 years to 14 years imprisonment. We welcome the support of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police who “wholeheartedly endorse all efforts to strengthen border controls and impose stronger penalties to combat firearms smuggling and trafficking”.Let us not forget that during C-71 study at committee, Conservative MPs proposed amendments that proposed there be no punishment for “false statements to procure licences” and “false statements to procure customs confirmations”— so, importing or trafficking. Just recently, we announced that we will be re-establishing the Cross-Border Crime Forum with the U.S. while exploring the creation of a cross-border task force which to address gun smuggling and trafficking.Following hundreds of millions of dollars in cuts to our agencies by the previous Conservative government, we arerebuilding capacity. The CBSA is receiving $51.5 million over five years through the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence to enhance its capacity to stem the flow of inadmissible travellers and illegal firearms entering Canada at vulnerable points of entry and through postal facilities. It is also procuring equipment to enhance air cargo security and pallet imaging, intelligence collection and production abilities, and improving border operations through measures aimed at enhancing the CBSA’s capacity to detect and interdict illegal firearms at the border.In addition, the RCMP is receiving $34.5 million through the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence to enhance its capacity to conduct investigations related to the criminal use of firearms as well as to provide law enforcement with enhanced access to training, technology and data to keep illicit firearms out of Canada and detect and report on criminal gang activities. The RCMP has created the Integrated Criminal Firearms Initiative to expand and enhance existing services available to support firearms investigations nationwide. This includes providing anonymous online capabilities to investigate firearms trafficking and smuggling, conducting physical firearms inspections, enhancing analytical capacity to develop and produce actionable intelligence, and supporting stakeholder outreach among partners to advance focused initiatives. The RCMP is also prioritizing strategic intelligence analysis related to street gangs and the procurement of advanced technologies to expedite and further support the analysis of ballistics and illicit manufacturing of firearms.We are also making important investments in our communities to reduce gun and gang violence.  More than $200 million is now flowing directly to provinces and territories to target initiatives that best meet the unique needs of individual communities to advance efforts in areas of prevention, gang exit, outreach and awareness training as well as enhanced intelligence sharing and law enforcement capacity. With the funding allocations, jurisdictions have made investments to support new law enforcement activities including specialized training and education initiatives and improving data collection and information sharing. PTs have also prioritized a number of prevention intervention initiatives. We will help create safer communities by giving young people the opportunities and resources they need to resist lives of crime by providing an additional $250 million over five years to municipalities and Indigenous communities to support youth programming.Our Government will continue working to enhance public safety by focusing on prevention, effective law enforcement and strong community partnerships.
FirearmsParliamentary democracy
43rd Parliament223Government response tabledApril 12, 2021432-00594432-00594 (Democratic process)KerryDiotteEdmonton GriesbachConservativeABFebruary 26, 2021April 12, 2021February 12, 2021Petition to the House of CommonsWe, the undersigned citizens of Canada, draw the attention of the House of Commons to the following: Whereas, the Liberal government's firearms regulations brought in through the use of order-in-council fails to respect lawful firearms owners. Whereas, the vast majority of firearms owners' respect Canada's firearm laws and responsibly own and use firearms in a highly regulated manner. Whereas, evidence shows the vast majority of gun violence in Canada is perpetrated with illegal guns.Whereas, creating new laws and new bans won't stop criminals who are already breaking existing laws. Whereas, despite Liberal's promises their firearm ban includes several shotguns used for hunting.Whereas the current system is arbitrary. “Military-style assault rifles” is not a legal definition in Canada, and the government can arbitrarily add new firearms to the list without democratic debate in Parliament or public consultation. Whereas smuggling of firearms into Canada is and remains a major issue. Therefore we, the undersigned, call on the House of Commons to take the following actions to address the situation:1. To ensure all changes to firearms regulations are brought before the House of Commons for public debate. 2. That firearms regulations target the criminal use of firearms not hundreds of thousands of lawful gun owners. 3. That policies are enacted to prevent the illegal smuggling of firearms into Canada.
Response by the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency PreparednessSigned by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): Joël Lightbound, M.PCanadians deserve to live in a society where they can feel safe and secure from gun violence. The Government ofCanada has prohibited assault-style firearms as they are not reasonable for hunting or sport shooting purposes given theinherent danger that they pose to public safety. The prohibition limits access to the most dangerous firearms that arecharacterized by their design and their capability of inflicting significant harm to Canadians. The prohibition reduces thenumber and availability of assault style firearms and other firearms that exceed safe civilian use in Canada, and lowersthe possibility of these firearms being diverted to the illegal market.For decades chiefs of police had been advocating for additional restrictions, and even a prohibition, of military-styleassault rifles. The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police previously passed a resolution declaring that military assaultrifles were produced for the “sole purpose of killing people in large numbers” and asked the Minister of Justice to “banall military assault rifles except for law enforcement and military purposes.” Last September the Ontario Association ofChiefs of Police expressed support for a prohibition on all military-designed assault rifles, averring that “these weaponshave no place in our communities and should be reserved for use by Canada’s military and law enforcement.” The current president of the CACP even declared that “Canadian Chiefs believe that this finds balance, it ensures the safety of our members when they respond to calls for service.”Through Section 117.15 of the Criminal Code, Parliament provides the Government with the authority to prescribe the classification of firearms. We have exercised that authority to benefit the safety and security of Canadians, within limits set by Parliament. The affected firearms are prohibited as they (1) have semi-automatic action with sustain rapid-fire capability (tactical/military design with large magazine capacity), (2) are of modern design, and (3) are present in large volumes in the Canadian market. This authority has existed for decades and has been exercised several times over theyears including by the previous Conservative Government.We made a promise to Canadians and we have delivered. We have been clear that our prohibition will not impact the activities of law-abiding hunters or sport shooters. We have also signaled our intent to implement a buyback program that will provide fair compensation to affected owners. We are looking at a range of options, and will work with Parliament as well as the provinces and territories to get this right for law-abiding gun owners and businesses.While the prohibition is a crucial first step, it is only one of a series of measures that we are taking to target firearm-related crime in this country. We know that firearms-related violence is complex and must be addressed comprehensively. That is why our Government introduced Bill C-21, which proposes amendments to the Firearms Act and the CriminalCode that would build on the Government’s previous actions to promote the safety of Canadians while protecting the privileges associated with lawful firearms ownership. These include:•             bringing into law “red and yellow flag” regimes that would give anyone - medical practitioners, family members, neighbours and victims of gender-based, intimate-partner, and family violence - the ability to seek a temporary licence suspension or removal of firearms from those who pose a danger to themselves or others in cases of domestic violence, suicide, or hate motivated crime;•             creating new offences for altering a cartridge magazine, depicting violence in advertising;•             tightening restrictions on replica firearms and the importation of non-prohibited ammunition;•             increasing the exchange of intelligence between the RCMP and local police of jurisdiction;•             providing firearms owners affected by the May 1 assault-style firearms prohibition with disposition options including a strict non-permissive storage regime; and•             helping create safer communities by supporting the efforts of municipalities who choose to take action to restrict handguns within their boundaries.In recognition of the public safety threat posed by gun smuggling, the Bill also includes provisions that would increase the maximum penalties for trafficking and smuggling offences, moving them from 10 years to 14 years imprisonment. We welcome the support of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police who “wholeheartedly endorse all efforts to strengthen border controls and impose stronger penalties to combat firearms smuggling and trafficking”.Let us not forget that during C-71 study at committee, Conservative MPs proposed amendments that proposed there be no punishment for “false statements to procure licences” and “false statements to procure customs confirmations”— so, importing or trafficking. Just recently, we announced that we will be re-establishing the Cross-Border Crime Forum with the U.S. while exploring the creation of a cross-border task force which to address gun smuggling and trafficking.Following hundreds of millions of dollars in cuts to our agencies by the previous Conservative government, we arerebuilding capacity. The CBSA is receiving $51.5 million over five years through the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence to enhance its capacity to stem the flow of inadmissible travellers and illegal firearms entering Canada at vulnerable points of entry and through postal facilities. It is also procuring equipment to enhance air cargo security and pallet imaging, intelligence collection and production abilities, and improving border operations through measures aimed at enhancing the CBSA’s capacity to detect and interdict illegal firearms at the border.In addition, the RCMP is receiving $34.5 million through the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence to enhance its capacity to conduct investigations related to the criminal use of firearms as well as to provide law enforcement with enhanced access to training, technology and data to keep illicit firearms out of Canada and detect and report on criminal gang activities. The RCMP has created the Integrated Criminal Firearms Initiative to expand and enhance existing services available to support firearms investigations nationwide. This includes providing anonymous online capabilities to investigate firearms trafficking and smuggling, conducting physical firearms inspections, enhancing analytical capacity to develop and produce actionable intelligence, and supporting stakeholder outreach among partners to advance focused initiatives. The RCMP is also prioritizing strategic intelligence analysis related to street gangs and the procurement of advanced technologies to expedite and further support the analysis of ballistics and illicit manufacturing of firearms.We are also making important investments in our communities to reduce gun and gang violence.  More than $200 million is now flowing directly to provinces and territories to target initiatives that best meet the unique needs of individual communities to advance efforts in areas of prevention, gang exit, outreach and awareness training as well as enhanced intelligence sharing and law enforcement capacity. With the funding allocations, jurisdictions have made investments to support new law enforcement activities including specialized training and education initiatives and improving data collection and information sharing. PTs have also prioritized a number of prevention intervention initiatives. We will help create safer communities by giving young people the opportunities and resources they need to resist lives of crime by providing an additional $250 million over five years to municipalities and Indigenous communities to support youth programming.Our Government will continue working to enhance public safety by focusing on prevention, effective law enforcement and strong community partnerships.
FirearmsParliamentary democracy
43rd Parliament223Government response tabledApril 12, 2021432-00593432-00593 (Democratic process)KerryDiotteEdmonton GriesbachConservativeABFebruary 26, 2021April 12, 2021February 9, 2021Petition to the House of CommonsWe, the undersigned citizens of Canada, draw the attention of the House of Commons to the following: Whereas, the Liberal government's firearms regulations brought in through the use of order-in-council fails to respect lawful firearms owners. Whereas, the vast majority of firearms owners' respect Canada's firearm laws and responsibly own and use firearms in a highly regulated manner. Whereas, evidence shows the vast majority of gun violence in Canada is perpetrated with illegal guns.Whereas, creating new laws and new bans won't stop criminals who are already breaking existing laws. Whereas, despite Liberal's promises their firearm ban includes several shotguns used for hunting.Whereas the current system is arbitrary. “Military-style assault rifles” is not a legal definition in Canada, and the government can arbitrarily add new firearms to the list without democratic debate in Parliament or public consultation. Whereas smuggling of firearms into Canada is and remains a major issue. Therefore we, the undersigned, call on the House of Commons to take the following actions to address the situation:1. To ensure all changes to firearms regulations are brought before the House of Commons for public debate. 2. That firearms regulations target the criminal use of firearms not hundreds of thousands of lawful gun owners. 3. That policies are enacted to prevent the illegal smuggling of firearms into Canada.
Response by the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency PreparednessSigned by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): Joël Lightbound, M.PCanadians deserve to live in a society where they can feel safe and secure from gun violence. The Government ofCanada has prohibited assault-style firearms as they are not reasonable for hunting or sport shooting purposes given theinherent danger that they pose to public safety. The prohibition limits access to the most dangerous firearms that arecharacterized by their design and their capability of inflicting significant harm to Canadians. The prohibition reduces thenumber and availability of assault style firearms and other firearms that exceed safe civilian use in Canada, and lowersthe possibility of these firearms being diverted to the illegal market.For decades chiefs of police had been advocating for additional restrictions, and even a prohibition, of military-styleassault rifles. The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police previously passed a resolution declaring that military assaultrifles were produced for the “sole purpose of killing people in large numbers” and asked the Minister of Justice to “banall military assault rifles except for law enforcement and military purposes.” Last September the Ontario Association ofChiefs of Police expressed support for a prohibition on all military-designed assault rifles, averring that “these weaponshave no place in our communities and should be reserved for use by Canada’s military and law enforcement.” The current president of the CACP even declared that “Canadian Chiefs believe that this finds balance, it ensures the safety of our members when they respond to calls for service.”Through Section 117.15 of the Criminal Code, Parliament provides the Government with the authority to prescribe the classification of firearms. We have exercised that authority to benefit the safety and security of Canadians, within limits set by Parliament. The affected firearms are prohibited as they (1) have semi-automatic action with sustain rapid-fire capability (tactical/military design with large magazine capacity), (2) are of modern design, and (3) are present in large volumes in the Canadian market. This authority has existed for decades and has been exercised several times over theyears including by the previous Conservative Government.We made a promise to Canadians and we have delivered. We have been clear that our prohibition will not impact the activities of law-abiding hunters or sport shooters. We have also signaled our intent to implement a buyback program that will provide fair compensation to affected owners. We are looking at a range of options, and will work with Parliament as well as the provinces and territories to get this right for law-abiding gun owners and businesses.While the prohibition is a crucial first step, it is only one of a series of measures that we are taking to target firearm-related crime in this country. We know that firearms-related violence is complex and must be addressed comprehensively. That is why our Government introduced Bill C-21, which proposes amendments to the Firearms Act and the CriminalCode that would build on the Government’s previous actions to promote the safety of Canadians while protecting the privileges associated with lawful firearms ownership. These include:•             bringing into law “red and yellow flag” regimes that would give anyone - medical practitioners, family members, neighbours and victims of gender-based, intimate-partner, and family violence - the ability to seek a temporary licence suspension or removal of firearms from those who pose a danger to themselves or others in cases of domestic violence, suicide, or hate motivated crime;•             creating new offences for altering a cartridge magazine, depicting violence in advertising;•             tightening restrictions on replica firearms and the importation of non-prohibited ammunition;•             increasing the exchange of intelligence between the RCMP and local police of jurisdiction;•             providing firearms owners affected by the May 1 assault-style firearms prohibition with disposition options including a strict non-permissive storage regime; and•             helping create safer communities by supporting the efforts of municipalities who choose to take action to restrict handguns within their boundaries.In recognition of the public safety threat posed by gun smuggling, the Bill also includes provisions that would increase the maximum penalties for trafficking and smuggling offences, moving them from 10 years to 14 years imprisonment. We welcome the support of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police who “wholeheartedly endorse all efforts to strengthen border controls and impose stronger penalties to combat firearms smuggling and trafficking”.Let us not forget that during C-71 study at committee, Conservative MPs proposed amendments that proposed there be no punishment for “false statements to procure licences” and “false statements to procure customs confirmations”— so, importing or trafficking. Just recently, we announced that we will be re-establishing the Cross-Border Crime Forum with the U.S. while exploring the creation of a cross-border task force which to address gun smuggling and trafficking.Following hundreds of millions of dollars in cuts to our agencies by the previous Conservative government, we arerebuilding capacity. The CBSA is receiving $51.5 million over five years through the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence to enhance its capacity to stem the flow of inadmissible travellers and illegal firearms entering Canada at vulnerable points of entry and through postal facilities. It is also procuring equipment to enhance air cargo security and pallet imaging, intelligence collection and production abilities, and improving border operations through measures aimed at enhancing the CBSA’s capacity to detect and interdict illegal firearms at the border.In addition, the RCMP is receiving $34.5 million through the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence to enhance its capacity to conduct investigations related to the criminal use of firearms as well as to provide law enforcement with enhanced access to training, technology and data to keep illicit firearms out of Canada and detect and report on criminal gang activities. The RCMP has created the Integrated Criminal Firearms Initiative to expand and enhance existing services available to support firearms investigations nationwide. This includes providing anonymous online capabilities to investigate firearms trafficking and smuggling, conducting physical firearms inspections, enhancing analytical capacity to develop and produce actionable intelligence, and supporting stakeholder outreach among partners to advance focused initiatives. The RCMP is also prioritizing strategic intelligence analysis related to street gangs and the procurement of advanced technologies to expedite and further support the analysis of ballistics and illicit manufacturing of firearms.We are also making important investments in our communities to reduce gun and gang violence.  More than $200 million is now flowing directly to provinces and territories to target initiatives that best meet the unique needs of individual communities to advance efforts in areas of prevention, gang exit, outreach and awareness training as well as enhanced intelligence sharing and law enforcement capacity. With the funding allocations, jurisdictions have made investments to support new law enforcement activities including specialized training and education initiatives and improving data collection and information sharing. PTs have also prioritized a number of prevention intervention initiatives. We will help create safer communities by giving young people the opportunities and resources they need to resist lives of crime by providing an additional $250 million over five years to municipalities and Indigenous communities to support youth programming.Our Government will continue working to enhance public safety by focusing on prevention, effective law enforcement and strong community partnerships.
FirearmsParliamentary democracy
43rd Parliament223Government response tabledApril 12, 2021432-00565432-00565 (Justice)BobSaroyaMarkham—UnionvilleConservativeONFebruary 25, 2021April 12, 2021February 4, 2021Petition to the House of CommonsWHEREAS
  • Smuggled firearms make up a significant portion of the firearms used in crime across the country.
  • Criminals caught in knowing possession of smuggled firearms are a threat to public safety but often receive light sentences and are quick to obtain bail.
  • Bill C-238 would increase sentences for those caught in knowing possession of a smuggled weapon and make it more difficult for those charged to be released on bail.
We, the undersigned citizens and residents of Canada call upon the House of Commons to:
  • Support and vote to pass Bill C-238 An Act to amend the Criminal Code (possession of unlawfully imported firearms).
  • Support more action being taken to stop the flow of illegal firearms over the border.
Response by the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency PreparednessSigned by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): JOËL LIGHTBOUND, M.P.Our government is committed to ensuring that our border remains open to legitimate trade and travel while closed to those who seek to traffic or smuggle weapons or drugs. Following significant cuts by the previous Conservative government to our security agencies, in the last Parliament our government announced an investment of $327M to combat gun and gang violence, with $86M to prevent cross-border smuggling of illegal firearms. Of this, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is being provided an extra $51.5 million to enhance screening, detection and training around firearms smuggling and $34.5 million for the RCMP’s Integrated Criminal Firearms Initiative to enhance intelligence gathering, technology and investigations. Upon the introduction of new legislation that will strengthen gun control at our borders, we announced additional anti-smuggling investments for the RCMP worth $42.4 million over 5 years, with $6.1 million ongoing. At the same time, for the CBSA we announced enhanced intelligence and investigative capacity of 21.8 million over 5 years, and $3.3 million ongoing for AI threat detection: $1.7 million over 5 years. We welcome the opportunity to discuss ways to prevent cross-border firearms smuggling, considering during C-71 study at SECU, Conservative MPs proposed amendments that proposed there be no punishment for “false statements to procure licences” and “false statements to procure customs confirmations”— meaning, importing or trafficking. https://www.ourcommons.ca/DocumentViewer/en/42-1/SECU/meeting-161/evidence At every point in the travel continuum, the government undertakes activities to prevent the smuggling of illicit firearms. Pre-border, the Government works closely with domestic and international law enforcement agencies to identify and disrupt criminal networks involved in smuggling or facilitating the smuggling of illicit firearms, through intelligence sharing and operations. The CBSA’s National Targeting Center also uses intelligence, information and other indicators to conduct pre-arrival risk assessments on goods and people entering the country to identify high-risk shipments or travelers. If firearms are smuggled into Canada, the CBSA works closely with its law enforcement partners to identify smuggling routes and individuals involved, and lay the appropriate criminal charges after a thorough criminal investigation. Where a foreign national may be involved, the CBSA can also remove the individual from the country as such criminal involvement would likely deem the individual as inadmissible to Canada. From January 1, 2014 to September 6, 2020, the CBSA seized 4263 undeclared firearms at the border. Just recently, we announced that we will be re-establishing the Cross-Border Crime Forum with the U.S. while exploring the creation of a cross-border task force which to address gun smuggling and trafficking. To fight the criminal act of gun smuggling and trafficking at our border, under C-21 we will increase the maximum prison sentence to highlight how serious this offense is. Additionally, we will increase sharing of data between the RCMP and local law enforcement agencies to better prosecute trafficking offences, and will table an annual report for greater transparency and accountability. We welcome the support of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police who “wholeheartedly endorse all efforts to strengthen border controls and impose stronger penalties to combat firearms smuggling and trafficking”. 
Response by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada Signed by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): The Honourable David LamettiThe Government of Canada is committed to addressing gun crime and strengthening measures to enhance public safety. Reducing firearms smuggling into Canada is a key part of the Government’s fight to reduce access to illegal firearms. Smuggled firearms make their way into the hands of criminals and are often used to commit serious offences tied to organized crime, such as drug trafficking.On February 16, the Government introduced Bill C-21, An Act to amend certain Acts and to make certain consequential amendments (firearms). The proposed reforms are an important component of the Government’s broader approach to combat firearms violence and includes amendments to increase the maximum penalties of imprisonment for firearms trafficking and smuggling and related offences from 10 to 14 years imprisonment.The Government is also implementing effective measures with respect to strengthening firearm regulations and gun and gang initiatives that prioritize public safety. In the 2020 Fall Economic Statement, the Government committed $250 million over five years to directly support municipalities and Indigenous communities to help protect Canadians from gun violence and support anti-gang programming and prevention programs for at-risk youth.
FirearmsImportsSentencing
43rd Parliament223Government response tabledJanuary 25, 2021432-00278432-00278 (Justice)DavidYurdigaFort McMurray—Cold LakeConservativeABNovember 24, 2020January 25, 2021September 18, 2019Petition to the House of CommonsWe, the Undersigned, Residents of Canada, call upon the House of Commons to stop plans to implement a ban on Handguns in Canada, and instead focus on increasing punishments for violent gun criminals and urban gangs.
Response by the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency PreparednessSigned by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): JOËL LIGHTBOUND, M.P.Canadians deserve to live in a society where they can feel safe and secure from gun violence. The Government ofCanada has prohibited assault-style firearms as they are not reasonable for hunting or sport shooting purposes given theinherent danger that they pose to public safety. The prohibition limits access to the most dangerous firearms that arecharacterized by their design and their capability of inflicting significant harm to Canadians. The prohibition reduces thenumber and availability of assault style firearms and other firearms that exceed safe civilian use in Canada, and lowersthe possibility of these firearms being diverted to the illegal market.For decades chiefs of police had been advocating for additional restrictions, and even a prohibition, of military-style assault rifles. The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police previously passed a resolution declaring that military assault rifles were produced for the “sole purpose of killing people in large numbers” and asked the Minister of Justice to “ban all military assault rifles except for law enforcement and military purposes.” Last September the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police expressed support for a prohibition on all military-designed assault rifles, averring that “these weapons have no place in our communities and should be reserved for use by Canada’s military and law enforcement.”The current Chief of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police has declared that this prohibition “finds balance” as it “ensures the safety of our members” while not limiting “those that recreationally participate in hunting or those that actually live off the land.”Through Section 117.15 of the Criminal Code, Parliament provides the Government with the authority to prescribe theclassification of firearms. We have exercised that authority to benefit the safety and security of Canadians, within limitsset by Parliament. The affected firearms are prohibited as they (1) have semi-automatic action with sustain rapid-firecapability (tactical/military design with large magazine capacity), (2) are of modern design, and (3) are present in largevolumes in the Canadian market. This authority has existed for decades and has been exercised several times over theyears including by the previous Conservative Government.We have been clear that our prohibition will be fair to law-abiding hunters or sport shooters. We have also signaled ourintent to implement a buyback program that will provide compensation to affected owners. We are looking at a range ofoptions, and will work with Parliament as well as the provinces and territories (PTs) to get this right for law-abiding gunowners and businesses. While the prohibition is a crucial first step, it is only one of a series of measures that we will to take to target firearm related crime in this country. At the first opportunity we will introduce legislation that will strengthen gun control. We intend to introduce a red-flag regime in order to better protect public safety, strengthen firearms storage requirements to deter theft, enhance police tracing capacity, and work with our partners from other levels of government to give municipalities the ability to further restrict handguns.We are also committed to combatting gun-related violence and gang activities and to strengthening border security, andincreasing police anti-gang capacities. This will build on work that is already underway. We announced funding of up to $327.6 million over five years through the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence (the Initiative) to combat gun-related violence and gang activities, including by supporting law enforcement and community-led projects focused on prevention.More than $200 million is now flowing directly to PTs to target initiatives that best meet the unique needs of individualcommunities to advance efforts in areas of prevention, gang exit, outreach and awareness training as well as enhancedintelligence sharing and law enforcement capacity. With the funding allocations, jurisdictions have made investments tosupport new law enforcement activities including specialized training and education initiatives and improving datacollection and information sharing. PTs have also prioritized a number of prevention intervention initiatives. Building onthese achievements, our Government has committed to investing additional funding to help municipalities meet theneeds of communities at risk to fight gang-related violence and expand diversion programs to keep youth out of thecriminal justice system.The Government knows that the cross-border smuggling of firearms also poses a threat to the safety and security ofCanadians. We are committed to taking action to prevent smuggled guns from entering Canada. We will introducetougher penalties for trafficking and smuggling offences and will continue to make important investments in the CanadaBorder Services Agency (CBSA) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) to strengthen border controls andreduce the number of guns being smuggled across the our borders. These initiatives will build on work that is alreadyunderway.Following hundreds of millions of dollars in cuts to our agencies by the previous Conservative government, we arerebuilding capacity. The CBSA is receiving $51.5 million over five years through the Initiative to Take Action Against Gunand Gang Violence to enhance its capacity to stem the flow of inadmissible travellers and illegal firearms enteringCanada at vulnerable points of entry and through postal facilities. It is also procuring equipment to enhance air cargosecurity and pallet imaging, intelligence collection and production abilities, and improving border operations throughmeasures aimed at enhancing the CBSA’s capacity to detect and interdict illegal firearms at the border. The CBSAcontinues to work with key domestic and US law enforcement partners to generate leads, as well as support and assistwith interdiction efforts.In addition, the RCMP is receiving $34.5 million through the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence toenhance its capacity to conduct investigations related to the criminal use of firearms as well as to provide lawenforcement with enhanced access to training, technology and data to keep illicit firearms out of Canada and detect andreport on criminal gang activities. The RCMP has created the Integrated Criminal Firearms Initiative to expand andenhance existing services available to support firearms investigations nationwide. This includes providing anonymousonline capabilities to investigate firearms trafficking and smuggling, conducting physical firearms inspections, enhancinganalytical capacity to develop and produce actionable intelligence, and supporting stakeholder outreach among partnersto advance focused initiatives. The RCMP is also prioritizing strategic intelligence analysis related to street gangs and theprocurement of advanced technologies to expedite and further support the analysis of ballistics and illicit manufacturingof firearms.We will continue working to enhance public safety by focusing on prevention, effective law enforcement and strongcommunity partnerships.
FirearmsSentencing
43rd Parliament223Government response tabledJanuary 25, 2021e-2582e-2582 (Democratic process)EmileSauretteGarnettGenuisSherwood Park—Fort SaskatchewanConservativeABMay 12, 2020, at 12:28 p.m. (EDT)July 11, 2020, at 12:28 p.m. (EDT)November 6, 2020January 25, 2021July 13, 2020Petition to the <Addressee type="6" affiliationId="" mp-riding-display="1">Prime Minister</Addressee>Whereas:The newly advised gun ban was rolled out undemocratically and is designed around emotion rather than science/fact or current statistics;The newly advised gun ban did not have parliamentary discourse and was not executed in an emergency state; andThe newly advised gun ban creates criminals out of law abiding citizens and does nothing to deter or hinder further illegal activity.We, the undersigned, concerned, free citizens of democratic Canada, call upon the Prime Minister to: 1- Immediately repeal the gun ban which lists about 1500 firearms as illegal;2- Enact proper parliamentary discourse on the proposed ban, even if that means engaging the senate;3- Inform citizens on current gun laws as well as criminal laws that already exist and identify how this ban could assist;4- That full financial disclosure prior to spending further tax dollars on the program/laws costs should be made; and5- That this petition would also exist should any law have been created undemocratically, which would label current law abiding citizens as potential criminals or threats for owning specific property, which was perfectly legal the day before.
Response by the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency PreparednessSigned by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): Joël Lightbound, M.PCanadians deserve to live in a society where they can feel safe and secure from gun violence. The Government ofCanada has prohibited assault-style firearms as they are not reasonable for hunting or sport shooting purposes given theinherent danger that they pose to public safety. The prohibition limits access to the most dangerous firearms that arecharacterized by their design and their capability of inflicting significant harm to Canadians. The prohibition reduces thenumber and availability of assault style firearms and other firearms that exceed safe civilian use in Canada, and lowersthe possibility of these firearms being diverted to the illegal market.For decades chiefs of police had been advocating for additional restrictions, and even a prohibition, of military-style assault rifles. The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police previously passed a resolution declaring that military assault rifles were produced for the “sole purpose of killing people in large numbers” and asked the Minister of Justice to “ban all military assault rifles except for law enforcement and military purposes.” Last September the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police expressed support for a prohibition on all military-designed assault rifles, averring that “these weapons have no place in our communities and should be reserved for use by Canada’s military and law enforcement.”The current Chief of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police has declared that this prohibition “finds balance” as it “ensures the safety of our members” while not limiting “those that recreationally participate in hunting or those that actually live off the land.”Through Section 117.15 of the Criminal Code, Parliament provides the Government with the authority to prescribe theclassification of firearms. We have exercised that authority to benefit the safety and security of Canadians, within limitsset by Parliament. The affected firearms are prohibited as they (1) have semi-automatic action with sustain rapid-firecapability (tactical/military design with large magazine capacity), (2) are of modern design, and (3) are present in largevolumes in the Canadian market. This authority has existed for decades and has been exercised several times over theyears including by the previous Conservative Government.We have been clear that our prohibition will be fair to law-abiding hunters or sport shooters. We have also signaled ourintent to implement a buyback program that will provide compensation to affected owners. We are looking at a range ofoptions, and will work with Parliament as well as the provinces and territories (PTs) to get this right for law-abiding gunowners and businesses. While the prohibition is a crucial first step, it is only one of a series of measures that we will to take to target firearm related crime in this country. At the first opportunity we will introduce legislation that will strengthen gun control. We intend to introduce a red-flag regime in order to better protect public safety, strengthen firearms storage requirements to deter theft, enhance police tracing capacity, and work with our partners from other levels of government to give municipalities the ability to further restrict handguns.We are also committed to combatting gun-related violence and gang activities and to strengthening border security, andincreasing police anti-gang capacities. This will build on work that is already underway. We announced funding of up to $327.6 million over five years through the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence (the Initiative) to combat gun-related violence and gang activities, including by supporting law enforcement and community-led projects focused on prevention.More than $200 million is now flowing directly to PTs to target initiatives that best meet the unique needs of individualcommunities to advance efforts in areas of prevention, gang exit, outreach and awareness training as well as enhancedintelligence sharing and law enforcement capacity. With the funding allocations, jurisdictions have made investments tosupport new law enforcement activities including specialized training and education initiatives and improving datacollection and information sharing. PTs have also prioritized a number of prevention intervention initiatives. Building onthese achievements, our Government has committed to investing additional funding to help municipalities meet theneeds of communities at risk to fight gang-related violence and expand diversion programs to keep youth out of thecriminal justice system.The Government knows that the cross-border smuggling of firearms also poses a threat to the safety and security ofCanadians. We are committed to taking action to prevent smuggled guns from entering Canada. We will introducetougher penalties for trafficking and smuggling offences and will continue to make important investments in the CanadaBorder Services Agency (CBSA) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) to strengthen border controls andreduce the number of guns being smuggled across the our borders. These initiatives will build on work that is alreadyunderway.Following hundreds of millions of dollars in cuts to our agencies by the previous Conservative government, we arerebuilding capacity. The CBSA is receiving $51.5 million over five years through the Initiative to Take Action Against Gunand Gang Violence to enhance its capacity to stem the flow of inadmissible travellers and illegal firearms enteringCanada at vulnerable points of entry and through postal facilities. It is also procuring equipment to enhance air cargosecurity and pallet imaging, intelligence collection and production abilities, and improving border operations throughmeasures aimed at enhancing the CBSA’s capacity to detect and interdict illegal firearms at the border. The CBSAcontinues to work with key domestic and US law enforcement partners to generate leads, as well as support and assistwith interdiction efforts.In addition, the RCMP is receiving $34.5 million through the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence toenhance its capacity to conduct investigations related to the criminal use of firearms as well as to provide lawenforcement with enhanced access to training, technology and data to keep illicit firearms out of Canada and detect andreport on criminal gang activities. The RCMP has created the Integrated Criminal Firearms Initiative to expand andenhance existing services available to support firearms investigations nationwide. This includes providing anonymousonline capabilities to investigate firearms trafficking and smuggling, conducting physical firearms inspections, enhancinganalytical capacity to develop and produce actionable intelligence, and supporting stakeholder outreach among partnersto advance focused initiatives. The RCMP is also prioritizing strategic intelligence analysis related to street gangs and theprocurement of advanced technologies to expedite and further support the analysis of ballistics and illicit manufacturingof firearms.We will continue working to enhance public safety by focusing on prevention, effective law enforcement and strongcommunity partnerships.
Access to informationFirearmsParliamentary democracy
43rd Parliament223Government response tabledJanuary 25, 2021432-00412432-00412 (Justice)BobSaroyaMarkham—UnionvilleConservativeONDecember 10, 2020January 25, 2021November 3, 2020Petition to the House of CommonsWHEREAS
  • Smuggled firearms make up a significant portion of the firearms used in crime across the country.
  • Criminals caught in knowing possession of smuggled firearms are a threat to public safety but often receive light sentences and are quick to obtain bail.
  • Bill C-238 would increase sentences for those caught in knowing possession of a smuggled weapon and make it more difficult for those charged to be released on bail.
We, the undersigned citizens and residents of Canada call upon the House of Commons to:
  • Support and vote to pass Bill C-238 An Act to amend the Criminal Code (possession of unlawfully imported firearms).
  • Support more action being taken to stop the flow of illegal firearms over the border.
Response by the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency PreparednessSigned by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): Joël Lightbound, M.POur government is committed to ensuring that our border remains open to legitimate trade and travel while closed to those who seek to traffic or smuggle weapons or drugs.Following significant cuts by the previous Conservative government to our security agencies, in the last Parliament our government announced an investment of $327M to combat gun and gang violence, with $86M to prevent cross-border smuggling of illegal firearms. Of this, the CBSA is being provided an extra $51.5 million to enhance screening, detection and training around firearms smuggling and $34.5 million for the RCMP’s Integrated Criminal Firearms Initiative to enhance intelligence gathering, technology and investigations. Additionally, $214M is being provided to the provinces and territories to design and implement strategies, including $65M to the province of Ontario. While the administration of justice falls under the purview of provinces and territories, we note that with these funds, the Ontario Government has funded a bail investigator team in the Peel Region.We welcome the opportunity to discuss mechanisms to discuss ways to prevent cross-border firearms smuggling, considering during C-71 study at SECU, Conservative MPs proposed amendments that would “propose there be no punishment for [many offences which] include “false statements to procure licences”, “false statements to procure customs confirmations”—so, importing or trafficking.”While we look forward to debating this bill further, I would note though that C-238 does not meaningfully address the act of smuggling. Our government has signaled our intention to bring forward legislation that will give us new authorities to keep guns out of the hands of criminals by strengthening penalties for the illegal smuggling of firearms into Canada, as well as the trafficking of firearms through diversion and straw purchasing.At every point in the travel continuum, the government undertakes activities to prevent the smuggling of illicit firearms. Pre-border, the Government works closely with domestic and international law enforcement agencies to identify and disrupt criminal networks involved in smuggling or facilitating the smuggling of illicit firearms, through intelligence sharing and operations. The Canada Border Services Agency’s (CBSA) National Targeting Center also uses intelligence, information and other indicators to conduct pre-arrival risk assessments on goods and people entering the country to identify high-risk shipments or travelers.If firearms are smuggled into Canada, the CBSA works closely with its law enforcement partners to identify smuggling routes and individuals involved, and lay the appropriate criminal charges after a thorough criminal investigation. Where a foreign national may be involved, the CBSA can also remove the individual from the country as such criminal involvement would likely deem the individual as inadmissible to Canada. From January 1, 2014 to September 6, 2020, the CBSA seized 4263 undeclared firearms at the border.We will continue to address the criminal act of firearms smuggling. However, we simply cannot do just half the job. Smuggling is just one way in which firearms are illegally diverted, as they can also be stolen or illegally sold through straw purchasing.Over the years, many Chiefs of Police have warned about these risks. Saskatoon Police Chief Troy Cooper said in an interview that people who use firearms in committing crimes in Saskatchewan obtain them “primarily by theft.” Regina Police Chief Evan Bray said that crime guns are “not being brought in by the United States” but are “coming from break and enters.” Just recently, Edmonton Police Chief Dale McFee also declared that “roughly five to 10 per cent of Edmonton’s crime guns are coming across the U.S. border. The remainder have either been acquired legally, obtained through “straw purchasers” or stolen.” And in Ontario, Inspector Chris Renwick told a Crime Prevention board meeting in Ottawa that half the crime guns recovered are from within Canada, usually legally registered but stolen.”Our government will do the work that is needed to address all forms of smuggling.
Response by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada Signed by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): The Honourable David LamettiThe Government of Canada is committed to addressing gun crime and strengthening measures to enhance public safety. Reducing firearms smuggling into Canada is a key part of the Government’s fight to reduce access to illegal firearms. Smuggled firearms make their way into the hands of criminals and are often used to commit serious offences tied to organized crime, such as drug trafficking. That is why the Government has committed to increase the penalties around firearms smuggling as set out in the mandate letter to the Minister of Public Safety.The Government is also implementing effective measures with respect to strengthening firearm regulations and gun and gang initiatives that prioritize public safety. In the 2020 Fall Economic Statement, the Government committed $250 million over five years to directly support municipalities and Indigenous communities to help protect Canadians from gun violence and support anti-gang programming and prevention programs for at-risk youth.Private Member’s Bill C-238 proposes a number of changes that raise important criminal law and policy considerations and that implicate the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. These issues will be fully examined as part of the Parliamentary process.
FirearmsImportsSentencing
43rd Parliament223Government response tabledJanuary 25, 2021432-00411432-00411 (Justice)BobSaroyaMarkham—UnionvilleConservativeONDecember 10, 2020January 25, 2021November 3, 2020Petition to the House of CommonsWHEREAS
  • Smuggled firearms make up a significant portion of the firearms used in crime across the country.
  • Criminals caught in knowing possession of smuggled firearms are a threat to public safety but often receive light sentences and are quick to obtain bail.
  • Bill C-238 would increase sentences for those caught in knowing possession of a smuggled weapon and make it more difficult for those charged to be released on bail.
We, the undersigned citizens and residents of Canada call upon the House of Commons to:
  • Support and vote to pass Bill C-238 An Act to amend the Criminal Code (possession of unlawfully imported firearms).
  • Support more action being taken to stop the flow of illegal firearms over the border.
Response by the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency PreparednessSigned by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): Joël Lightbound, M.POur government is committed to ensuring that our border remains open to legitimate trade and travel while closed to those who seek to traffic or smuggle weapons or drugs.Following significant cuts by the previous Conservative government to our security agencies, in the last Parliament our government announced an investment of $327M to combat gun and gang violence, with $86M to prevent cross-border smuggling of illegal firearms. Of this, the CBSA is being provided an extra $51.5 million to enhance screening, detection and training around firearms smuggling and $34.5 million for the RCMP’s Integrated Criminal Firearms Initiative to enhance intelligence gathering, technology and investigations. Additionally, $214M is being provided to the provinces and territories to design and implement strategies, including $65M to the province of Ontario. While the administration of justice falls under the purview of provinces and territories, we note that with these funds, the Ontario Government has funded a bail investigator team in the Peel Region.We welcome the opportunity to discuss mechanisms to discuss ways to prevent cross-border firearms smuggling, considering during C-71 study at SECU, Conservative MPs proposed amendments that would “propose there be no punishment for [many offences which] include “false statements to procure licences”, “false statements to procure customs confirmations”—so, importing or trafficking.”While we look forward to debating this bill further, I would note though that C-238 does not meaningfully address the act of smuggling. Our government has signaled our intention to bring forward legislation that will give us new authorities to keep guns out of the hands of criminals by strengthening penalties for the illegal smuggling of firearms into Canada, as well as the trafficking of firearms through diversion and straw purchasing.At every point in the travel continuum, the government undertakes activities to prevent the smuggling of illicit firearms. Pre-border, the Government works closely with domestic and international law enforcement agencies to identify and disrupt criminal networks involved in smuggling or facilitating the smuggling of illicit firearms, through intelligence sharing and operations. The Canada Border Services Agency’s (CBSA) National Targeting Center also uses intelligence, information and other indicators to conduct pre-arrival risk assessments on goods and people entering the country to identify high-risk shipments or travelers.If firearms are smuggled into Canada, the CBSA works closely with its law enforcement partners to identify smuggling routes and individuals involved, and lay the appropriate criminal charges after a thorough criminal investigation. Where a foreign national may be involved, the CBSA can also remove the individual from the country as such criminal involvement would likely deem the individual as inadmissible to Canada. From January 1, 2014 to September 6, 2020, the CBSA seized 4263 undeclared firearms at the border.We will continue to address the criminal act of firearms smuggling. However, we simply cannot do just half the job. Smuggling is just one way in which firearms are illegally diverted, as they can also be stolen or illegally sold through straw purchasing.Over the years, many Chiefs of Police have warned about these risks. Saskatoon Police Chief Troy Cooper said in an interview that people who use firearms in committing crimes in Saskatchewan obtain them “primarily by theft.” Regina Police Chief Evan Bray said that crime guns are “not being brought in by the United States” but are “coming from break and enters.” Just recently, Edmonton Police Chief Dale McFee also declared that “roughly five to 10 per cent of Edmonton’s crime guns are coming across the U.S. border. The remainder have either been acquired legally, obtained through “straw purchasers” or stolen.” And in Ontario, Inspector Chris Renwick told a Crime Prevention board meeting in Ottawa that half the crime guns recovered are from within Canada, usually legally registered but stolen.”Our government will do the work that is needed to address all forms of smuggling.
Response by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada Signed by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): The Honourable David LamettiThe Government of Canada is committed to addressing gun crime and strengthening measures to enhance public safety. Reducing firearms smuggling into Canada is a key part of the Government’s fight to reduce access to illegal firearms. Smuggled firearms make their way into the hands of criminals and are often used to commit serious offences tied to organized crime, such as drug trafficking. That is why the Government has committed to increase the penalties around firearms smuggling as set out in the mandate letter to the Minister of Public Safety.The Government is also implementing effective measures with respect to strengthening firearm regulations and gun and gang initiatives that prioritize public safety. In the 2020 Fall Economic Statement, the Government committed $250 million over five years to directly support municipalities and Indigenous communities to help protect Canadians from gun violence and support anti-gang programming and prevention programs for at-risk youth.Private Member’s Bill C-238 proposes a number of changes that raise important criminal law and policy considerations and that implicate the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. These issues will be fully examined as part of the Parliamentary process.
FirearmsImportsSentencing
43rd Parliament223Government response tabledJanuary 25, 2021432-00410432-00410 (Justice)BobSaroyaMarkham—UnionvilleConservativeONDecember 10, 2020January 25, 2021November 3, 2020Petition to the House of CommonsWHEREAS
  • Smuggled firearms make up a significant portion of the firearms used in crime across the country.
  • Criminals caught in knowing possession of smuggled firearms are a threat to public safety but often receive light sentences and are quick to obtain bail.
  • Bill C-238 would increase sentences for those caught in knowing possession of a smuggled weapon and make it more difficult for those charged to be released on bail.
We, the undersigned citizens and residents of Canada call upon the House of Commons to:
  • Support and vote to pass Bill C-238 An Act to amend the Criminal Code (possession of unlawfully imported firearms).
  • Support more action being taken to stop the flow of illegal firearms over the border.
Response by the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency PreparednessSigned by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): Joël Lightbound, M.POur government is committed to ensuring that our border remains open to legitimate trade and travel while closed to those who seek to traffic or smuggle weapons or drugs.Following significant cuts by the previous Conservative government to our security agencies, in the last Parliament our government announced an investment of $327M to combat gun and gang violence, with $86M to prevent cross-border smuggling of illegal firearms. Of this, the CBSA is being provided an extra $51.5 million to enhance screening, detection and training around firearms smuggling and $34.5 million for the RCMP’s Integrated Criminal Firearms Initiative to enhance intelligence gathering, technology and investigations. Additionally, $214M is being provided to the provinces and territories to design and implement strategies, including $65M to the province of Ontario. While the administration of justice falls under the purview of provinces and territories, we note that with these funds, the Ontario Government has funded a bail investigator team in the Peel Region.We welcome the opportunity to discuss mechanisms to discuss ways to prevent cross-border firearms smuggling, considering during C-71 study at SECU, Conservative MPs proposed amendments that would “propose there be no punishment for [many offences which] include “false statements to procure licences”, “false statements to procure customs confirmations”—so, importing or trafficking.”While we look forward to debating this bill further, I would note though that C-238 does not meaningfully address the act of smuggling. Our government has signaled our intention to bring forward legislation that will give us new authorities to keep guns out of the hands of criminals by strengthening penalties for the illegal smuggling of firearms into Canada, as well as the trafficking of firearms through diversion and straw purchasing.At every point in the travel continuum, the government undertakes activities to prevent the smuggling of illicit firearms. Pre-border, the Government works closely with domestic and international law enforcement agencies to identify and disrupt criminal networks involved in smuggling or facilitating the smuggling of illicit firearms, through intelligence sharing and operations. The Canada Border Services Agency’s (CBSA) National Targeting Center also uses intelligence, information and other indicators to conduct pre-arrival risk assessments on goods and people entering the country to identify high-risk shipments or travelers.If firearms are smuggled into Canada, the CBSA works closely with its law enforcement partners to identify smuggling routes and individuals involved, and lay the appropriate criminal charges after a thorough criminal investigation. Where a foreign national may be involved, the CBSA can also remove the individual from the country as such criminal involvement would likely deem the individual as inadmissible to Canada. From January 1, 2014 to September 6, 2020, the CBSA seized 4263 undeclared firearms at the border.We will continue to address the criminal act of firearms smuggling. However, we simply cannot do just half the job. Smuggling is just one way in which firearms are illegally diverted, as they can also be stolen or illegally sold through straw purchasing.Over the years, many Chiefs of Police have warned about these risks. Saskatoon Police Chief Troy Cooper said in an interview that people who use firearms in committing crimes in Saskatchewan obtain them “primarily by theft.” Regina Police Chief Evan Bray said that crime guns are “not being brought in by the United States” but are “coming from break and enters.” Just recently, Edmonton Police Chief Dale McFee also declared that “roughly five to 10 per cent of Edmonton’s crime guns are coming across the U.S. border. The remainder have either been acquired legally, obtained through “straw purchasers” or stolen.” And in Ontario, Inspector Chris Renwick told a Crime Prevention board meeting in Ottawa that half the crime guns recovered are from within Canada, usually legally registered but stolen.”Our government will do the work that is needed to address all forms of smuggling.
Response by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada Signed by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): The Honourable David LamettiThe Government of Canada is committed to addressing gun crime and strengthening measures to enhance public safety. Reducing firearms smuggling into Canada is a key part of the Government’s fight to reduce access to illegal firearms. Smuggled firearms make their way into the hands of criminals and are often used to commit serious offences tied to organized crime, such as drug trafficking. That is why the Government has committed to increase the penalties around firearms smuggling as set out in the mandate letter to the Minister of Public Safety.The Government is also implementing effective measures with respect to strengthening firearm regulations and gun and gang initiatives that prioritize public safety. In the 2020 Fall Economic Statement, the Government committed $250 million over five years to directly support municipalities and Indigenous communities to help protect Canadians from gun violence and support anti-gang programming and prevention programs for at-risk youth.Private Member’s Bill C-238 proposes a number of changes that raise important criminal law and policy considerations and that implicate the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. These issues will be fully examined as part of the Parliamentary process.
FirearmsImportsSentencing
43rd Parliament223Government response tabledJanuary 25, 2021432-00208432-00208 (Democratic process)GarnettGenuisSherwood Park—Fort SaskatchewanConservativeABNovember 4, 2020January 25, 2021June 19, 2020Petition to the House of CommonsWe, the undersigned citizens of Canada, draw the attention of the House of Commons to the following:Whereas, virtually all violent gun crime committed in Canada (including the recent shooting in Nova Scotia) involves illegal firearms, in the hands of those who are already not permitted to possess them; Whereas the government must take action to strengthen enforcement, fight gun smuggling, and keep guns out of the hands of violent people; Whereas targeting law-abiding citizens who have already demonstrated that they have the knowledge and character required to use guns safely will not improve public safety; And whereas taking away the property of law-abiding citizens is a distraction from the important work that needs to be done keeping guns out of the hands of criminals.We the undersigned therefore, urge the House of Commons and the Government of Canada to:
  • Reverse the Order in Council banning certain firearms imposed on May 1st;
  • Propose measures that will effectively address the illegal use of firearms by criminals, while respecting the rights of law-abiding citizens;
  • Ensure that substantial changes to Canada's firearms laws are only ever made by Parliament, not by the government or the RCMP acting unilaterally.
Response by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada Signed by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): The Honourable David LamettiPursuant to the mandate letters of the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Public Safety, work is ongoing towards the implementation of a robust set of firearms commitments, including a prohibition on military-style assault rifles with a two-year Criminal Code amnesty and buy-back program, and imposing stronger Criminal Code penalties for gun smuggling.On May 1, 2020, the Governor in Council promulgated regulations prohibiting certain assault-style firearms on the basis that they: (1) have semi-automatic action with sustained rapid-fire capability (tactical/military design with large magazine capacity; (2) are of modern design; and (3) are present in large volumes in the Canadian market. The Governor in Council has had the power to prescribe firearms as prohibited or restricted by regulation for several decades. This power was re-enacted in section 117.15 of the Criminal Code, which received Royal Assent in 1998.In making the regulations, the Governor in Council was of the view that these firearms are not reasonable for hunting or sports shooting because of the risk that they pose to public safety.An accompanying two-year Amnesty Order to protect law-abiding gun owners from criminal prosecution until they can come into compliance with the law was also made. The Government has also announced its intention to introduce a buy-back program.The Government knows that the cross-border smuggling of firearms also poses a threat to the safety and security of Canadians. The Government is committed to taking action to prevent smuggled guns from entering Canada and also for introducing tougher penalties for trafficking and smuggling offences, in addition to continuing to make important investments in the Canada Border Services Agency and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to strengthen border controls and reduce the number of guns being smuggled across the borders. These initiatives will build on work that is already underway.The Minister of Public Safety has also publicly committed to additional reforms requiring amendments to the Criminal Code, including increased penalties for straw purchasing (a form of firearms trafficking); and, permitting an individual to apply to a court for an emergency weapons prohibition order to apply to another individual, otherwise known as “red flag laws.”In November 2017, the Government has made available funding of up to $327.6 million over five years through the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence to combat gun-related violence and gang activities, including by supporting law enforcement and community-led projects focused on crime prevention.In addition, more than $200 million is now flowing directly to the provinces and territories to target initiatives that best meet the unique needs of individual communities to advance efforts in areas of prevention, gang exit, outreach and awareness training as well as enhanced intelligence sharing and law enforcement capacity. With the funding allocations, jurisdictions have made investments to support new law enforcement activities including specialized training and education initiatives and improving data collection and information sharing. Provinces and territories have also prioritized a number of prevention intervention initiatives. Building on these achievements, the Government has committed to invest additional funding to help municipalities meet the needs of communities at risk to fight gang-related violence and expand diversion programs to keep youth out of the criminal justice system.
Response by the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency PreparednessSigned by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): Joël Lightbound, M.PCanadians deserve to live in a society where they can feel safe and secure from gun violence. The Government ofCanada has prohibited assault-style firearms as they are not reasonable for hunting or sport shooting purposes given theinherent danger that they pose to public safety. The prohibition limits access to the most dangerous firearms that arecharacterized by their design and their capability of inflicting significant harm to Canadians. The prohibition reduces thenumber and availability of assault style firearms and other firearms that exceed safe civilian use in Canada, and lowersthe possibility of these firearms being diverted to the illegal market.For decades chiefs of police had been advocating for additional restrictions, and even a prohibition, of military-style assault rifles. The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police previously passed a resolution declaring that military assault rifles were produced for the “sole purpose of killing people in large numbers” and asked the Minister of Justice to “ban all military assault rifles except for law enforcement and military purposes.” Last September the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police expressed support for a prohibition on all military-designed assault rifles, averring that “these weapons have no place in our communities and should be reserved for use by Canada’s military and law enforcement.”The current Chief of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police has declared that this prohibition “finds balance” as it “ensures the safety of our members” while not limiting “those that recreationally participate in hunting or those that actually live off the land.”Through Section 117.15 of the Criminal Code, Parliament provides the Government with the authority to prescribe theclassification of firearms. We have exercised that authority to benefit the safety and security of Canadians, within limitsset by Parliament. The affected firearms are prohibited as they (1) have semi-automatic action with sustain rapid-firecapability (tactical/military design with large magazine capacity), (2) are of modern design, and (3) are present in largevolumes in the Canadian market. This authority has existed for decades and has been exercised several times over theyears including by the previous Conservative Government.We have been clear that our prohibition will be fair to law-abiding hunters or sport shooters. We have also signaled ourintent to implement a buyback program that will provide compensation to affected owners. We are looking at a range ofoptions, and will work with Parliament as well as the provinces and territories (PTs) to get this right for law-abiding gunowners and businesses. While the prohibition is a crucial first step, it is only one of a series of measures that we will to take to target firearm related crime in this country. At the first opportunity we will introduce legislation that will strengthen gun control. We intend to introduce a red-flag regime in order to better protect public safety, strengthen firearms storage requirements to deter theft, enhance police tracing capacity, and work with our partners from other levels of government to give municipalities the ability to further restrict handguns.We are also committed to combatting gun-related violence and gang activities and to strengthening border security, andincreasing police anti-gang capacities. This will build on work that is already underway. We announced funding of up to $327.6 million over five years through the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence (the Initiative) to combat gun-related violence and gang activities, including by supporting law enforcement and community-led projects focused on prevention.More than $200 million is now flowing directly to PTs to target initiatives that best meet the unique needs of individualcommunities to advance efforts in areas of prevention, gang exit, outreach and awareness training as well as enhancedintelligence sharing and law enforcement capacity. With the funding allocations, jurisdictions have made investments tosupport new law enforcement activities including specialized training and education initiatives and improving datacollection and information sharing. PTs have also prioritized a number of prevention intervention initiatives. Building onthese achievements, our Government has committed to investing additional funding to help municipalities meet theneeds of communities at risk to fight gang-related violence and expand diversion programs to keep youth out of thecriminal justice system.The Government knows that the cross-border smuggling of firearms also poses a threat to the safety and security ofCanadians. We are committed to taking action to prevent smuggled guns from entering Canada. We will introducetougher penalties for trafficking and smuggling offences and will continue to make important investments in the CanadaBorder Services Agency (CBSA) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) to strengthen border controls andreduce the number of guns being smuggled across the our borders. These initiatives will build on work that is alreadyunderway.Following hundreds of millions of dollars in cuts to our agencies by the previous Conservative government, we arerebuilding capacity. The CBSA is receiving $51.5 million over five years through the Initiative to Take Action Against Gunand Gang Violence to enhance its capacity to stem the flow of inadmissible travellers and illegal firearms enteringCanada at vulnerable points of entry and through postal facilities. It is also procuring equipment to enhance air cargosecurity and pallet imaging, intelligence collection and production abilities, and improving border operations throughmeasures aimed at enhancing the CBSA’s capacity to detect and interdict illegal firearms at the border. The CBSAcontinues to work with key domestic and US law enforcement partners to generate leads, as well as support and assistwith interdiction efforts.In addition, the RCMP is receiving $34.5 million through the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence toenhance its capacity to conduct investigations related to the criminal use of firearms as well as to provide lawenforcement with enhanced access to training, technology and data to keep illicit firearms out of Canada and detect andreport on criminal gang activities. The RCMP has created the Integrated Criminal Firearms Initiative to expand andenhance existing services available to support firearms investigations nationwide. This includes providing anonymousonline capabilities to investigate firearms trafficking and smuggling, conducting physical firearms inspections, enhancinganalytical capacity to develop and produce actionable intelligence, and supporting stakeholder outreach among partnersto advance focused initiatives. The RCMP is also prioritizing strategic intelligence analysis related to street gangs and theprocurement of advanced technologies to expedite and further support the analysis of ballistics and illicit manufacturingof firearms.We will continue working to enhance public safety by focusing on prevention, effective law enforcement and strongcommunity partnerships.
FirearmsParliamentary democracy
43rd Parliament223Government response tabledJanuary 25, 2021432-00196432-00196 (Democratic process)GarnettGenuisSherwood Park—Fort SaskatchewanConservativeABNovember 2, 2020January 25, 2021June 19, 2020Petition to the House of CommonsWe, the undersigned citizens of Canada, draw the attention of the House of Commons to the following:Whereas, virtually all violent gun crime committed in Canada (including the recent shooting in Nova Scotia) involves illegal firearms, in the hands of those who are already not permitted to possess them; Whereas the government must take action to strengthen enforcement, fight gun smuggling, and keep guns out of the hands of violent people; Whereas targeting law-abiding citizens who have already demonstrated that they have the knowledge and character required to use guns safely will not improve public safety; And whereas taking away the property of law-abiding citizens is a distraction from the important work that needs to be done keeping guns out of the hands of criminals.We the undersigned therefore, urge the House of Commons and the Government of Canada to:
  • Reverse the Order in Council banning certain firearms imposed on May 1st;
  • Propose measures that will effectively address the illegal use of firearms by criminals, while respecting the rights of law-abiding citizens;
  • Ensure that substantial changes to Canada's firearms laws are only ever made by Parliament, not by the government or the RCMP acting unilaterally.
Response by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada Signed by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): The Honourable David LamettiPursuant to the mandate letters of the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Public Safety, work is ongoing towards the implementation of a robust set of firearms commitments, including a prohibition on military-style assault rifles with a two-year Criminal Code amnesty and buy-back program, and imposing stronger Criminal Code penalties for gun smuggling.On May 1, 2020, the Governor in Council promulgated regulations prohibiting certain assault-style firearms on the basis that they: (1) have semi-automatic action with sustained rapid-fire capability (tactical/military design with large magazine capacity; (2) are of modern design; and (3) are present in large volumes in the Canadian market. The Governor in Council has had the power to prescribe firearms as prohibited or restricted by regulation for several decades. This power was re-enacted in section 117.15 of the Criminal Code, which received Royal Assent in 1998.In making the regulations, the Governor in Council was of the view that these firearms are not reasonable for hunting or sports shooting because of the risk that they pose to public safety.An accompanying two-year Amnesty Order to protect law-abiding gun owners from criminal prosecution until they can come into compliance with the law was also made. The Government has also announced its intention to introduce a buy-back program.The Government knows that the cross-border smuggling of firearms also poses a threat to the safety and security of Canadians. The Government is committed to taking action to prevent smuggled guns from entering Canada and also for introducing tougher penalties for trafficking and smuggling offences, in addition to continuing to make important investments in the Canada Border Services Agency and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to strengthen border controls and reduce the number of guns being smuggled across the borders. These initiatives will build on work that is already underway.The Minister of Public Safety has also publicly committed to additional reforms requiring amendments to the Criminal Code, including increased penalties for straw purchasing (a form of firearms trafficking); and, permitting an individual to apply to a court for an emergency weapons prohibition order to apply to another individual, otherwise known as “red flag laws.”In November 2017, the Government has made available funding of up to $327.6 million over five years through the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence to combat gun-related violence and gang activities, including by supporting law enforcement and community-led projects focused on crime prevention.In addition, more than $200 million is now flowing directly to the provinces and territories to target initiatives that best meet the unique needs of individual communities to advance efforts in areas of prevention, gang exit, outreach and awareness training as well as enhanced intelligence sharing and law enforcement capacity. With the funding allocations, jurisdictions have made investments to support new law enforcement activities including specialized training and education initiatives and improving data collection and information sharing. Provinces and territories have also prioritized a number of prevention intervention initiatives. Building on these achievements, the Government has committed to invest additional funding to help municipalities meet the needs of communities at risk to fight gang-related violence and expand diversion programs to keep youth out of the criminal justice system.
Response by the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency PreparednessSigned by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): Joël Lightbound, M.PCanadians deserve to live in a society where they can feel safe and secure from gun violence. The Government ofCanada has prohibited assault-style firearms as they are not reasonable for hunting or sport shooting purposes given theinherent danger that they pose to public safety. The prohibition limits access to the most dangerous firearms that arecharacterized by their design and their capability of inflicting significant harm to Canadians. The prohibition reduces thenumber and availability of assault style firearms and other firearms that exceed safe civilian use in Canada, and lowersthe possibility of these firearms being diverted to the illegal market.For decades chiefs of police had been advocating for additional restrictions, and even a prohibition, of military-style assault rifles. The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police previously passed a resolution declaring that military assault rifles were produced for the “sole purpose of killing people in large numbers” and asked the Minister of Justice to “ban all military assault rifles except for law enforcement and military purposes.” Last September the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police expressed support for a prohibition on all military-designed assault rifles, averring that “these weapons have no place in our communities and should be reserved for use by Canada’s military and law enforcement.”The current Chief of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police has declared that this prohibition “finds balance” as it “ensures the safety of our members” while not limiting “those that recreationally participate in hunting or those that actually live off the land.”Through Section 117.15 of the Criminal Code, Parliament provides the Government with the authority to prescribe theclassification of firearms. We have exercised that authority to benefit the safety and security of Canadians, within limitsset by Parliament. The affected firearms are prohibited as they (1) have semi-automatic action with sustain rapid-firecapability (tactical/military design with large magazine capacity), (2) are of modern design, and (3) are present in largevolumes in the Canadian market. This authority has existed for decades and has been exercised several times over theyears including by the previous Conservative Government.We have been clear that our prohibition will be fair to law-abiding hunters or sport shooters. We have also signaled ourintent to implement a buyback program that will provide compensation to affected owners. We are looking at a range ofoptions, and will work with Parliament as well as the provinces and territories (PTs) to get this right for law-abiding gunowners and businesses. While the prohibition is a crucial first step, it is only one of a series of measures that we will to take to target firearm related crime in this country. At the first opportunity we will introduce legislation that will strengthen gun control. We intend to introduce a red-flag regime in order to better protect public safety, strengthen firearms storage requirements to deter theft, enhance police tracing capacity, and work with our partners from other levels of government to give municipalities the ability to further restrict handguns.We are also committed to combatting gun-related violence and gang activities and to strengthening border security, andincreasing police anti-gang capacities. This will build on work that is already underway. We announced funding of up to $327.6 million over five years through the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence (the Initiative) to combat gun-related violence and gang activities, including by supporting law enforcement and community-led projects focused on prevention.More than $200 million is now flowing directly to PTs to target initiatives that best meet the unique needs of individualcommunities to advance efforts in areas of prevention, gang exit, outreach and awareness training as well as enhancedintelligence sharing and law enforcement capacity. With the funding allocations, jurisdictions have made investments tosupport new law enforcement activities including specialized training and education initiatives and improving datacollection and information sharing. PTs have also prioritized a number of prevention intervention initiatives. Building onthese achievements, our Government has committed to investing additional funding to help municipalities meet theneeds of communities at risk to fight gang-related violence and expand diversion programs to keep youth out of thecriminal justice system.The Government knows that the cross-border smuggling of firearms also poses a threat to the safety and security ofCanadians. We are committed to taking action to prevent smuggled guns from entering Canada. We will introducetougher penalties for trafficking and smuggling offences and will continue to make important investments in the CanadaBorder Services Agency (CBSA) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) to strengthen border controls andreduce the number of guns being smuggled across the our borders. These initiatives will build on work that is alreadyunderway.Following hundreds of millions of dollars in cuts to our agencies by the previous Conservative government, we arerebuilding capacity. The CBSA is receiving $51.5 million over five years through the Initiative to Take Action Against Gunand Gang Violence to enhance its capacity to stem the flow of inadmissible travellers and illegal firearms enteringCanada at vulnerable points of entry and through postal facilities. It is also procuring equipment to enhance air cargosecurity and pallet imaging, intelligence collection and production abilities, and improving border operations throughmeasures aimed at enhancing the CBSA’s capacity to detect and interdict illegal firearms at the border. The CBSAcontinues to work with key domestic and US law enforcement partners to generate leads, as well as support and assistwith interdiction efforts.In addition, the RCMP is receiving $34.5 million through the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence toenhance its capacity to conduct investigations related to the criminal use of firearms as well as to provide lawenforcement with enhanced access to training, technology and data to keep illicit firearms out of Canada and detect andreport on criminal gang activities. The RCMP has created the Integrated Criminal Firearms Initiative to expand andenhance existing services available to support firearms investigations nationwide. This includes providing anonymousonline capabilities to investigate firearms trafficking and smuggling, conducting physical firearms inspections, enhancinganalytical capacity to develop and produce actionable intelligence, and supporting stakeholder outreach among partnersto advance focused initiatives. The RCMP is also prioritizing strategic intelligence analysis related to street gangs and theprocurement of advanced technologies to expedite and further support the analysis of ballistics and illicit manufacturingof firearms.We will continue working to enhance public safety by focusing on prevention, effective law enforcement and strongcommunity partnerships.
FirearmsParliamentary democracy
43rd Parliament223Government response tabledDecember 9, 2020432-00155432-00155 (Democratic process)GarnettGenuisSherwood Park—Fort SaskatchewanConservativeABOctober 26, 2020December 9, 2020June 19, 2020Petition to the House of CommonsWe, the undersigned citizens of Canada, draw the attention of the House of Commons to the following:Whereas, virtually all violent gun crime committed in Canada (including the recent shooting in Nova Scotia) involves illegal firearms, in the hands of those who are already not permitted to possess them; Whereas the government must take action to strengthen enforcement, fight gun smuggling, and keep guns out of the hands of violent people; Whereas targeting law-abiding citizens who have already demonstrated that they have the knowledge and character required to use guns safely will not improve public safety; And whereas taking away the property of law-abiding citizens is a distraction from the important work that needs to be done keeping guns out of the hands of criminals.We the undersigned therefore, urge the House of Commons and the Government of Canada to:
  • Reverse the Order in Council banning certain firearms imposed on May 1st;
  • Propose measures that will effectively address the illegal use of firearms by criminals, while respecting the rights of law-abiding citizens;
  • Ensure that substantial changes to Canada's firearms laws are only ever made by Parliament, not by the government or the RCMP acting unilaterally.
Response by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada Signed by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): The Honourable David LamettiPursuant to the mandate letters of the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Public Safety, work is ongoing towards the implementation of a robust set of firearms commitments, including a prohibition on military-style assault rifles with a two-year Criminal Code amnesty and buy-back program, and imposing stronger Criminal Code penalties for gun smuggling.On May 1, 2020, the Governor in Council promulgated regulations prohibiting certain assault-style firearms on the basis that they: (1) have semi-automatic action with sustained rapid-fire capability (tactical/military design with large magazine capacity; (2) are of modern design; and (3) are present in large volumes in the Canadian market. The Governor in Council has had the power to prescribe firearms as prohibited or restricted by regulation for several decades. This power was re-enacted in section 117.15 of the Criminal Code, which received Royal Assent in 1998.In making the regulations, the Governor in Council was of the view that these firearms are not reasonable for hunting or sports shooting because of the risk that they pose to public safety.An accompanying two-year Amnesty Order to protect law-abiding gun owners from criminal prosecution until they can come into compliance with the law was also made. The Government has also announced its intention to introduce a buy-back program.The Government knows that the cross-border smuggling of firearms also poses a threat to the safety and security of Canadians. The Government is committed to taking action to prevent smuggled guns from entering Canada and also for introducing tougher penalties for trafficking and smuggling offences, in addition to continuing to make important investments in the Canada Border Services Agency and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to strengthen border controls and reduce the number of guns being smuggled across the borders. These initiatives will build on work that is already underway.The Minister of Public Safety has also publicly committed to additional reforms requiring amendments to the Criminal Code, including increased penalties for straw purchasing (a form of firearms trafficking); and, permitting an individual to apply to a court for an emergency weapons prohibition order to apply to another individual, otherwise known as “red flag laws.”In November 2017, the Government has made available funding of up to $327.6 million over five years through the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence to combat gun-related violence and gang activities, including by supporting law enforcement and community-led projects focused on crime prevention.In addition, more than $200 million is now flowing directly to the provinces and territories to target initiatives that best meet the unique needs of individual communities to advance efforts in areas of prevention, gang exit, outreach and awareness training as well as enhanced intelligence sharing and law enforcement capacity. With the funding allocations, jurisdictions have made investments to support new law enforcement activities including specialized training and education initiatives and improving data collection and information sharing. Provinces and territories have also prioritized a number of prevention intervention initiatives. Building on these achievements, the Government has committed to invest additional funding to help municipalities meet the needs of communities at risk to fight gang-related violence and expand diversion programs to keep youth out of the criminal justice system.
Response by the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency PreparednessSigned by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): Joël Lightbound, M.PCanadians deserve to live in a society where they can feel safe and secure from gun violence. The Government ofCanada has prohibited assault-style firearms as they are not reasonable for hunting or sport shooting purposes given theinherent danger that they pose to public safety. The prohibition limits access to the most dangerous firearms that arecharacterized by their design and their capability of inflicting significant harm to Canadians. The prohibition reduces thenumber and availability of assault style firearms and other firearms that exceed safe civilian use in Canada, and lowersthe possibility of these firearms being diverted to the illegal market.For decades chiefs of police had been advocating for additional restrictions, and even a prohibition, of military-style assault rifles. The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police previously passed a resolution declaring that military assault rifles were produced for the “sole purpose of killing people in large numbers” and asked the Minister of Justice to “ban all military assault rifles except for law enforcement and military purposes.” Last September the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police expressed support for a prohibition on all military-designed assault rifles, averring that “these weapons have no place in our communities and should be reserved for use by Canada’s military and law enforcement.”The current Chief of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police has declared that this prohibition “finds balance” as it “ensures the safety of our members” while not limiting “those that recreationally participate in hunting or those that actually live off the land.”Through Section 117.15 of the Criminal Code, Parliament provides the Government with the authority to prescribe theclassification of firearms. We have exercised that authority to benefit the safety and security of Canadians, within limitsset by Parliament. The affected firearms are prohibited as they (1) have semi-automatic action with sustain rapid-firecapability (tactical/military design with large magazine capacity), (2) are of modern design, and (3) are present in largevolumes in the Canadian market. This authority has existed for decades and has been exercised several times over theyears including by the previous Conservative Government.We have been clear that our prohibition will be fair to law-abiding hunters or sport shooters. We have also signaled ourintent to implement a buyback program that will provide compensation to affected owners. We are looking at a range ofoptions, and will work with Parliament as well as the provinces and territories (PTs) to get this right for law-abiding gunowners and businesses. While the prohibition is a crucial first step, it is only one of a series of measures that we will to take to target firearm related crime in this country. At the first opportunity we will introduce legislation that will strengthen gun control. We intend to introduce a red-flag regime in order to better protect public safety, strengthen firearms storage requirements to deter theft, enhance police tracing capacity, and work with our partners from other levels of government to give municipalities the ability to further restrict handguns.We are also committed to combatting gun-related violence and gang activities and to strengthening border security, andincreasing police anti-gang capacities. This will build on work that is already underway. We announced funding of up to $327.6 million over five years through the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence (the Initiative) to combat gun-related violence and gang activities, including by supporting law enforcement and community-led projects focused on prevention.More than $200 million is now flowing directly to PTs to target initiatives that best meet the unique needs of individualcommunities to advance efforts in areas of prevention, gang exit, outreach and awareness training as well as enhancedintelligence sharing and law enforcement capacity. With the funding allocations, jurisdictions have made investments tosupport new law enforcement activities including specialized training and education initiatives and improving datacollection and information sharing. PTs have also prioritized a number of prevention intervention initiatives. Building onthese achievements, our Government has committed to investing additional funding to help municipalities meet theneeds of communities at risk to fight gang-related violence and expand diversion programs to keep youth out of thecriminal justice system.The Government knows that the cross-border smuggling of firearms also poses a threat to the safety and security ofCanadians. We are committed to taking action to prevent smuggled guns from entering Canada. We will introducetougher penalties for trafficking and smuggling offences and will continue to make important investments in the CanadaBorder Services Agency (CBSA) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) to strengthen border controls andreduce the number of guns being smuggled across the our borders. These initiatives will build on work that is alreadyunderway.Following hundreds of millions of dollars in cuts to our agencies by the previous Conservative government, we arerebuilding capacity. The CBSA is receiving $51.5 million over five years through the Initiative to Take Action Against Gunand Gang Violence to enhance its capacity to stem the flow of inadmissible travellers and illegal firearms enteringCanada at vulnerable points of entry and through postal facilities. It is also procuring equipment to enhance air cargosecurity and pallet imaging, intelligence collection and production abilities, and improving border operations throughmeasures aimed at enhancing the CBSA’s capacity to detect and interdict illegal firearms at the border. The CBSAcontinues to work with key domestic and US law enforcement partners to generate leads, as well as support and assistwith interdiction efforts.In addition, the RCMP is receiving $34.5 million through the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence toenhance its capacity to conduct investigations related to the criminal use of firearms as well as to provide lawenforcement with enhanced access to training, technology and data to keep illicit firearms out of Canada and detect andreport on criminal gang activities. The RCMP has created the Integrated Criminal Firearms Initiative to expand andenhance existing services available to support firearms investigations nationwide. This includes providing anonymousonline capabilities to investigate firearms trafficking and smuggling, conducting physical firearms inspections, enhancinganalytical capacity to develop and produce actionable intelligence, and supporting stakeholder outreach among partnersto advance focused initiatives. The RCMP is also prioritizing strategic intelligence analysis related to street gangs and theprocurement of advanced technologies to expedite and further support the analysis of ballistics and illicit manufacturingof firearms.We will continue working to enhance public safety by focusing on prevention, effective law enforcement and strongcommunity partnerships.
FirearmsParliamentary democracy
43rd Parliament223Government response tabledDecember 3, 2020e-2576e-2576 (Democratic process)SteveHamiltonToddDohertyCariboo—Prince GeorgeConservativeBCMay 5, 2020, at 11:39 a.m. (EDT)September 2, 2020, at 11:39 a.m. (EDT)October 20, 2020December 3, 2020September 2, 2020Petition to the <Addressee type="3" affiliationId="" mp-riding-display="1">Government of Canada</Addressee>Whereas:On May 1, 2020, the Liberal government introduced an Order in Council to change the classification of many firearms in Canada;This executive order strips law-abiding Canadians of their legally purchased property;This unfairly targets Canadian firearms owners who are already among the most vetted in Canadian society. Possession and Acquisition License (PAL) and Restricted PAL (RPAL) holders are subject to daily screening and are statistically proven to be less likely to commit crimes than non-PAL and non-RPAL holders;According to Regulation 117.5(2), an Order in Council may not be used: "In making regulations, the Governor in Council may not prescribe any thing to be a prohibited firearm, a restricted firearm, a prohibited weapon, a restricted weapon, a prohibited device or prohibited ammunition if, in the opinion of the Governor in Council, the thing to be prescribed is reasonable for use in Canada for hunting or sporting purposes";It is the opinion of the Governor in Council that these firearms included in the Order are unsuitable for hunting or sporting purposes;Justice Minister David Lametti stated: “There will be an exception for Indigenous peoples exercising a section 35 hunting right, as well as those who use the weapon for hunting to feed themselves or their family”;An exemption shows that these firearms are clearly suitable; andMultiple premiers have stated that this ban will not be effective in preventing crime and money would be better allocated towards targeting criminals.We, the undersigned, citizens of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to immediately repeal the Order in Council issued May 1, 2020.
Response by the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency PreparednessSigned by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): Joël Lightbound, M.PCanadians deserve to live in a society where they can feel safe and secure from gun violence. The Government ofCanada has prohibited assault-style firearms as they are not reasonable for hunting or sport shooting purposes given theinherent danger that they pose to public safety. The prohibition limits access to the most dangerous firearms that arecharacterized by their design and their capability of inflicting significant harm to Canadians. The prohibition reduces thenumber and availability of assault style firearms and other firearms that exceed safe civilian use in Canada, and lowersthe possibility of these firearms being diverted to the illegal market.For decades chiefs of police had been advocating for additional restrictions, and even a prohibition, of military-style assault rifles. The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police previously passed a resolution declaring that military assault rifles were produced for the “sole purpose of killing people in large numbers” and asked the Minister of Justice to “ban all military assault rifles except for law enforcement and military purposes.” Last September the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police expressed support for a prohibition on all military-designed assault rifles, averring that “these weapons have no place in our communities and should be reserved for use by Canada’s military and law enforcement.”The current Chief of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police has declared that this prohibition “finds balance” as it “ensures the safety of our members” while not limiting “those that recreationally participate in hunting or those that actually live off the land.”Through Section 117.15 of the Criminal Code, Parliament provides the Government with the authority to prescribe theclassification of firearms. We have exercised that authority to benefit the safety and security of Canadians, within limitsset by Parliament. The affected firearms are prohibited as they (1) have semi-automatic action with sustain rapid-firecapability (tactical/military design with large magazine capacity), (2) are of modern design, and (3) are present in largevolumes in the Canadian market. This authority has existed for decades and has been exercised several times over theyears including by the previous Conservative Government.We have been clear that our prohibition will be fair to law-abiding hunters or sport shooters. We have also signaled ourintent to implement a buyback program that will provide compensation to affected owners. We are looking at a range ofoptions, and will work with Parliament as well as the provinces and territories (PTs) to get this right for law-abiding gunowners and businesses. While the prohibition is a crucial first step, it is only one of a series of measures that we will to take to target firearm related crime in this country. At the first opportunity we will introduce legislation that will strengthen gun control. We intend to introduce a red-flag regime in order to better protect public safety, strengthen firearms storage requirements to deter theft, enhance police tracing capacity, and work with our partners from other levels of government to give municipalities the ability to further restrict handguns.We are also committed to combatting gun-related violence and gang activities and to strengthening border security, andincreasing police anti-gang capacities. This will build on work that is already underway. We announced funding of up to $327.6 million over five years through the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence (the Initiative) to combat gun-related violence and gang activities, including by supporting law enforcement and community-led projects focused on prevention.More than $200 million is now flowing directly to PTs to target initiatives that best meet the unique needs of individualcommunities to advance efforts in areas of prevention, gang exit, outreach and awareness training as well as enhancedintelligence sharing and law enforcement capacity. With the funding allocations, jurisdictions have made investments tosupport new law enforcement activities including specialized training and education initiatives and improving datacollection and information sharing. PTs have also prioritized a number of prevention intervention initiatives. Building onthese achievements, our Government has committed to investing additional funding to help municipalities meet theneeds of communities at risk to fight gang-related violence and expand diversion programs to keep youth out of thecriminal justice system.The Government knows that the cross-border smuggling of firearms also poses a threat to the safety and security ofCanadians. We are committed to taking action to prevent smuggled guns from entering Canada. We will introducetougher penalties for trafficking and smuggling offences and will continue to make important investments in the CanadaBorder Services Agency (CBSA) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) to strengthen border controls andreduce the number of guns being smuggled across the our borders. These initiatives will build on work that is alreadyunderway.Following hundreds of millions of dollars in cuts to our agencies by the previous Conservative government, we arerebuilding capacity. The CBSA is receiving $51.5 million over five years through the Initiative to Take Action Against Gunand Gang Violence to enhance its capacity to stem the flow of inadmissible travellers and illegal firearms enteringCanada at vulnerable points of entry and through postal facilities. It is also procuring equipment to enhance air cargosecurity and pallet imaging, intelligence collection and production abilities, and improving border operations throughmeasures aimed at enhancing the CBSA’s capacity to detect and interdict illegal firearms at the border. The CBSAcontinues to work with key domestic and US law enforcement partners to generate leads, as well as support and assistwith interdiction efforts.In addition, the RCMP is receiving $34.5 million through the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence toenhance its capacity to conduct investigations related to the criminal use of firearms as well as to provide lawenforcement with enhanced access to training, technology and data to keep illicit firearms out of Canada and detect andreport on criminal gang activities. The RCMP has created the Integrated Criminal Firearms Initiative to expand andenhance existing services available to support firearms investigations nationwide. This includes providing anonymousonline capabilities to investigate firearms trafficking and smuggling, conducting physical firearms inspections, enhancinganalytical capacity to develop and produce actionable intelligence, and supporting stakeholder outreach among partnersto advance focused initiatives. The RCMP is also prioritizing strategic intelligence analysis related to street gangs and theprocurement of advanced technologies to expedite and further support the analysis of ballistics and illicit manufacturingof firearms.We will continue working to enhance public safety by focusing on prevention, effective law enforcement and strongcommunity partnerships.
Response by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada Signed by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): The Honourable David LamettiOn May 1, 2020, an Order in Council (OIC) came into force prohibiting certain assault-style firearms on the basis that they: (1) have semi-automatic action with sustained rapid-fire capability (tactical/military design with large magazine capacity; (2) are of modern design; and, (3) are present in large volumes in the Canadian market. An accompanying two-year Amnesty Order to protect law-abiding gun owners from criminal prosecution until they can come into compliance with the law was also made on the same date.The Government has also announced its intention to introduce a buyback program.The Governor-in-Council has had the power to prescribe firearms as prohibited or restricted by OIC for several decades. In 1998, this power was re-enacted in section 117.15 of the Criminal Code and this is the power used to make the OIC introduced on May 1, 2020.The Government of Canada is committed to reconciliation with Indigenous people throughout the country based on a recognition of rights, respect, cooperation, and partnership as a foundation for change. Given this commitment, the Government is committed to measures to ensure that Indigenous peoples’ aboriginal and treaty rights to hunt under section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982 were not immediately impacted by the May 1, 2020, assault-rifle ban. To that end, the amnesty that accompanied the assault rifle ban made a limited exception for sustenance hunters and for those exercising a section 35 aboriginal or treaty right to allow these individuals to continue to use any of the newly prohibited firearms, if they were previously non-restricted, until a suitable replacement is found. All firearms owners must be in compliance with the prohibition by the end of the amnesty period, which expires on April 30, 2022.
FirearmsParliamentary democracy
43rd Parliament223Government response tabledNovember 23, 2020432-00094432-00094 (Democratic process)GarnettGenuisSherwood Park—Fort SaskatchewanConservativeABOctober 8, 2020November 23, 2020June 19, 2020Petition to the House of CommonsWe, the undersigned citizens of Canada, draw the attention of the House of Commons to the following:Whereas, virtually all violent gun crime committed in Canada (including the recent shooting in Nova Scotia) involves illegal firearms, in the hands of those who are already not permitted to possess them; Whereas the government must take action to strengthen enforcement, fight gun smuggling, and keep guns out of the hands of violent people; Whereas targeting law-abiding citizens who have already demonstrated that they have the knowledge and character required to use guns safely will not improve public safety; And whereas taking away the property of law-abiding citizens is a distraction from the important work that needs to be done keeping guns out of the hands of criminals.We the undersigned therefore, urge the House of Commons and the Government of Canada to:
  • Reverse the Order in Council banning certain firearms imposed on May 1st;
  • Propose measures that will effectively address the illegal use of firearms by criminals, while respecting the rights of law-abiding citizens;
  • Ensure that substantial changes to Canada's firearms laws are only ever made by Parliament, not by the government or the RCMP acting unilaterally.
Response by the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency PreparednessSigned by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): JOËL LIGHTBOUND, M.P.On May 1, 2020, the Government of Canada announced the immediate prohibition of over 1,500 models of assault-style firearms that are specifically designed for soldiers to shoot other soldiers. The prohibition limits access to the most dangerous firearms and removes them from the Canadian market.For decades, police chiefs had been advocating for such a measure. In 1986, the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP) declared there was a “worldwide surplus” of accessible firearms that were designed for warfare and for the federal government to “take the steps necessary to end this increase in available weapons.” In 1994, the CACP declared that “military assault rifles” were produced for the “sole purpose of killing people in large numbers” and urged the Minister of Justice to enact legislation to “ban all military assault rifles except for law enforcement and military purposes.” Last September, the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police declared their support for a prohibition on all military-designed assault rifles. In their view, “these weapons have no place in our communities and should be reserved for use by Canada’s military and law enforcement.” Additionally, the current Chief of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police has declared that this prohibition “finds balance” as it “ensures the safety of our members” while not limiting “those that recreationally participate in hunting or those that actually live off the land.”Between October 2018 and February 2019 the Government held extensive public engagement on the issue of banning handguns and assault-style firearms with the provinces and territories, municipalities, Indigenous groups, law enforcement, community organizations, and industry to help inform policy, regulations, and legislation to reduce violent crime involving firearms. While the engagement was framed by the examination of a potential ban, the discussion explored several potential measures to reduce violent crime including enhanced enforcement capacity for law enforcement and border services, investments to support initiatives that reduce violence, and strengthening safe firearms storage requirements to help prevent theft. Many participants expressed that a ban on assault-style firearms was needed in order to protect public safety.We put in place an amnesty to give existing owners time to come into compliance with the law. The amnesty order also provides a temporary exception for Indigenous persons exercising S.35 Constitutional rights to hunt and for sustenance hunters to allow for continued use of newly prohibited firearms (if previously non-restricted) until a suitable replacement can be found. The Government remains committed to introducing a buy-back program during the amnesty period. However, the costs associated with implementing a buy-back program have not yet been finalized.While the prohibition was a crucial initiative, it was only the first step in the Government’s gun control agenda. The Government also intends to bring forward targeted measures to further address the criminal use of firearms. We will strengthen firearms storage requirements to deter theft, and following hundreds of millions of dollars cut by the previous Conservative government we will continue to make the necessary investments to enhance our tracing capacity and reduce the number of guns being smuggled across the border. We will continue to also work with our partners from other levels of government to develop an approach to address handguns.The Government also intends to build on previous investments in youth and community measures, because we know that better social conditions lead to a reduction in crime and violence.These initiatives were identified as a priority by our Government, both in the Throne Speech and in the Prime Minister’s mandate letter to the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness and we are committed to addressing these important issues as soon as possible.
Response by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada Signed by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): The Honourable David LamettiPursuant to the mandate letters of the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Public Safety, work is ongoing towards the implementation of a robust set of firearms commitments, including a prohibition on military-style assault rifles with a two-year Criminal Code amnesty and buy-back program, and imposing stronger Criminal Code penalties for gun smuggling.On May 1, 2020, the Governor in Council promulgated regulations prohibiting certain assault-style firearms on the basis that they: (1) have semi-automatic action with sustained rapid-fire capability (tactical/military design with large magazine capacity; (2) are of modern design; and (3) are present in large volumes in the Canadian market. The Governor in Council has had the power to prescribe firearms as prohibited or restricted by regulation for several decades. This power was re-enacted in section 117.15 of the Criminal Code, which received Royal Assent in 1998.In making the regulations, the Governor in Council was of the view that these firearms are not reasonable for hunting or sports shooting because of the risk that they pose to public safety.An accompanying two-year Amnesty Order to protect law-abiding gun owners from criminal prosecution until they can come into compliance with the law was also made. The Government has also announced its intention to introduce a buy-back program.The Government knows that the cross-border smuggling of firearms also poses a threat to the safety and security of Canadians. The Government is committed to taking action to prevent smuggled guns from entering Canada and also for introducing tougher penalties for trafficking and smuggling offences, in addition to continuing to make important investments in the Canada Border Services Agency and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to strengthen border controls and reduce the number of guns being smuggled across the borders. These initiatives will build on work that is already underway.The Minister of Public Safety has also publicly committed to additional reforms requiring amendments to the Criminal Code, including increased penalties for straw purchasing (a form of firearms trafficking); and, permitting an individual to apply to a court for an emergency weapons prohibition order to apply to another individual, otherwise known as “red flag laws.”In November 2017, the Government has made available funding of up to $327.6 million over five years through the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence to combat gun-related violence and gang activities, including by supporting law enforcement and community-led projects focused on crime prevention.In addition, more than $200 million is now flowing directly to the provinces and territories to target initiatives that best meet the unique needs of individual communities to advance efforts in areas of prevention, gang exit, outreach and awareness training as well as enhanced intelligence sharing and law enforcement capacity. With the funding allocations, jurisdictions have made investments to support new law enforcement activities including specialized training and education initiatives and improving data collection and information sharing. Provinces and territories have also prioritized a number of prevention intervention initiatives. Building on these achievements, the Government has committed to invest additional funding to help municipalities meet the needs of communities at risk to fight gang-related violence and expand diversion programs to keep youth out of the criminal justice system.
FirearmsParliamentary democracy
43rd Parliament223Government response tabledNovember 23, 2020432-00091432-00091 (Democratic process)ArnoldViersenPeace River—WestlockConservativeABOctober 8, 2020November 23, 2020June 19, 2020Petition to the House of CommonsWe, the undersigned citizens of Canada, draw the attention of the House of Commons to the following:Whereas, virtually all violent gun crime committed in Canada (including the recent shooting in Nova Scotia) involves illegal firearms, in the hands of those who are already not permitted to possess them; Whereas the government must take action to strengthen enforcement, fight gun smuggling, and keep guns out of the hands of violent people; Whereas targeting law-abiding citizens who have already demonstrated that they have the knowledge and character required to use guns safely will not improve public safety; And whereas taking away the property of law-abiding citizens is a distraction from the important work that needs to be done keeping guns out of the hands of criminals.We the undersigned therefore, urge the House of Commons and the Government of Canada to:
  • Reverse the Order in Council banning certain firearms imposed on May 1st;
  • Propose measures that will effectively address the illegal use of firearms by criminals, while respecting the rights of law-abiding citizens;
  • Ensure that substantial changes to Canada's firearms laws are only ever made by Parliament, not by the government or the RCMP acting unilaterally.
Response by the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency PreparednessSigned by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): JOËL LIGHTBOUND, M.P.On May 1, 2020, the Government of Canada announced the immediate prohibition of over 1,500 models of assault-style firearms that are specifically designed for soldiers to shoot other soldiers. The prohibition limits access to the most dangerous firearms and removes them from the Canadian market.For decades, police chiefs had been advocating for such a measure. In 1986, the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP) declared there was a “worldwide surplus” of accessible firearms that were designed for warfare and for the federal government to “take the steps necessary to end this increase in available weapons.” In 1994, the CACP declared that “military assault rifles” were produced for the “sole purpose of killing people in large numbers” and urged the Minister of Justice to enact legislation to “ban all military assault rifles except for law enforcement and military purposes.” Last September, the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police declared their support for a prohibition on all military-designed assault rifles. In their view, “these weapons have no place in our communities and should be reserved for use by Canada’s military and law enforcement.” Additionally, the current Chief of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police has declared that this prohibition “finds balance” as it “ensures the safety of our members” while not limiting “those that recreationally participate in hunting or those that actually live off the land.”Between October 2018 and February 2019 the Government held extensive public engagement on the issue of banning handguns and assault-style firearms with the provinces and territories, municipalities, Indigenous groups, law enforcement, community organizations, and industry to help inform policy, regulations, and legislation to reduce violent crime involving firearms. While the engagement was framed by the examination of a potential ban, the discussion explored several potential measures to reduce violent crime including enhanced enforcement capacity for law enforcement and border services, investments to support initiatives that reduce violence, and strengthening safe firearms storage requirements to help prevent theft. Many participants expressed that a ban on assault-style firearms was needed in order to protect public safety.We put in place an amnesty to give existing owners time to come into compliance with the law. The amnesty order also provides a temporary exception for Indigenous persons exercising S.35 Constitutional rights to hunt and for sustenance hunters to allow for continued use of newly prohibited firearms (if previously non-restricted) until a suitable replacement can be found. The Government remains committed to introducing a buy-back program during the amnesty period. However, the costs associated with implementing a buy-back program have not yet been finalized.While the prohibition was a crucial initiative, it was only the first step in the Government’s gun control agenda. The Government also intends to bring forward targeted measures to further address the criminal use of firearms. We will strengthen firearms storage requirements to deter theft, and following hundreds of millions of dollars cut by the previous Conservative government we will continue to make the necessary investments to enhance our tracing capacity and reduce the number of guns being smuggled across the border. We will continue to also work with our partners from other levels of government to develop an approach to address handguns.The Government also intends to build on previous investments in youth and community measures, because we know that better social conditions lead to a reduction in crime and violence.These initiatives were identified as a priority by our Government, both in the Throne Speech and in the Prime Minister’s mandate letter to the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness and we are committed to addressing these important issues as soon as possible.
Response by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada Signed by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): The Honourable David LamettiPursuant to the mandate letters of the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Public Safety, work is ongoing towards the implementation of a robust set of firearms commitments, including a prohibition on military-style assault rifles with a two-year Criminal Code amnesty and buy-back program, and imposing stronger Criminal Code penalties for gun smuggling.On May 1, 2020, the Governor in Council promulgated regulations prohibiting certain assault-style firearms on the basis that they: (1) have semi-automatic action with sustained rapid-fire capability (tactical/military design with large magazine capacity; (2) are of modern design; and (3) are present in large volumes in the Canadian market. The Governor in Council has had the power to prescribe firearms as prohibited or restricted by regulation for several decades. This power was re-enacted in section 117.15 of the Criminal Code, which received Royal Assent in 1998.In making the regulations, the Governor in Council was of the view that these firearms are not reasonable for hunting or sports shooting because of the risk that they pose to public safety.An accompanying two-year Amnesty Order to protect law-abiding gun owners from criminal prosecution until they can come into compliance with the law was also made. The Government has also announced its intention to introduce a buy-back program.The Government knows that the cross-border smuggling of firearms also poses a threat to the safety and security of Canadians. The Government is committed to taking action to prevent smuggled guns from entering Canada and also for introducing tougher penalties for trafficking and smuggling offences, in addition to continuing to make important investments in the Canada Border Services Agency and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to strengthen border controls and reduce the number of guns being smuggled across the borders. These initiatives will build on work that is already underway.The Minister of Public Safety has also publicly committed to additional reforms requiring amendments to the Criminal Code, including increased penalties for straw purchasing (a form of firearms trafficking); and, permitting an individual to apply to a court for an emergency weapons prohibition order to apply to another individual, otherwise known as “red flag laws.”In November 2017, the Government has made available funding of up to $327.6 million over five years through the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence to combat gun-related violence and gang activities, including by supporting law enforcement and community-led projects focused on crime prevention.In addition, more than $200 million is now flowing directly to the provinces and territories to target initiatives that best meet the unique needs of individual communities to advance efforts in areas of prevention, gang exit, outreach and awareness training as well as enhanced intelligence sharing and law enforcement capacity. With the funding allocations, jurisdictions have made investments to support new law enforcement activities including specialized training and education initiatives and improving data collection and information sharing. Provinces and territories have also prioritized a number of prevention intervention initiatives. Building on these achievements, the Government has committed to invest additional funding to help municipalities meet the needs of communities at risk to fight gang-related violence and expand diversion programs to keep youth out of the criminal justice system.
FirearmsParliamentary democracy
43rd Parliament223Government response tabledNovember 18, 2020432-00062432-00062 (Democratic process)GarnettGenuisSherwood Park—Fort SaskatchewanConservativeABOctober 5, 2020November 18, 2020June 5, 2020Petition to the House of CommonsWe, the undersigned citizens of Canada, draw the attention of the House of Commons to the following:Whereas, virtually all violent gun crime committed in Canada (including the recent shooting in Nova Scotia) involves illegal firearms, in the hands of those who are already not permitted to possess them; Whereas the government must take action to strengthen enforcement, fight gun smuggling, and keep guns out of the hands of violent people; Whereas targeting law-abiding citizens who have already demonstrated that they have the knowledge and character required to use guns safely will not improve public safety; And whereas taking away the property of law-abiding citizens is a distraction from the important work that needs to be done keeping guns out of the hands of criminals.We the undersigned therefore, urge the House of Commons and the Government of Canada to:
  • Reverse the Order in Council banning certain firearms imposed on May 1st;
  • Propose measures that will effectively address the illegal use of firearms by criminals, while respecting the rights of law-abiding citizens;
  • Ensure that substantial changes to Canada's firearms laws are only ever made by Parliament, not by the government or the RCMP acting unilaterally.
Response by the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency PreparednessSigned by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): JOËL LIGHTBOUND, M.P.On May 1, 2020, the Government of Canada announced the immediate prohibition of over 1,500 models of assault-style firearms that are specifically designed for soldiers to shoot other soldiers. The prohibition limits access to the most dangerous firearms and removes them from the Canadian market.For decades, police chiefs had been advocating for such a measure. In 1986, the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police declared there was a “worldwide surplus” of accessible firearms that were designed for warfare and for the federal government to “take the steps necessary to end this increase in available weapons.” In 1994, the CACP declared that “military assault rifles” were produced for the “sole purpose of killing people in large numbers” and urged the Minister of Justice to enact legislation to “ban all military assault rifles except for law enforcement and military purposes.” Last September, the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police declared their support for a prohibition on all military-designed assault rifles. In their view, “these weapons have no place in our communities and should be reserved for use by Canada’s military and law enforcement.” Additionally, the current Chief of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police has declared that this prohibition “finds balance” as it “ensures the safety of our members” while not limiting “those that recreationally participate in hunting or those that actually live off the land.”Between October 2018 and February 2019 the Government held extensive public engagement on the issue of banning handguns and assault-style firearms with the provinces and territories, municipalities, Indigenous groups, law enforcement, community organizations, and industry to help inform policy, regulations, and legislation to reduce violent crime involving firearms. While the engagement was framed by the examination of a potential ban, the discussion explored several potential measures to reduce violent crime including enhanced enforcement capacity for law enforcement and border services, investments to support initiatives that reduce violence, and strengthening safe firearms storage requirements to help prevent theft. Many participants expressed that a ban on assault-style firearms was needed in order to protect public safety.We put in place an amnesty to give existing owners time to come into compliance with the law. The amnesty order also provides a temporary exception for Indigenous persons exercising S.35 Constitutional rights to hunt and for sustenance hunters to allow for continued use of newly prohibited firearms (if previously non-restricted) until a suitable replacement can be found. The Government remains committed to introducing a buy-back program during the amnesty period. However, the costs associated with implementing a buy-back program have not yet been finalized.While the prohibition was a crucial initiative, it was only the first step in the Government’s gun control agenda. The Government also intends to bring forward targeted measures to further address the criminal use of firearms. We will strengthen firearms storage requirements to deter theft, and following hundreds of millions of dollars cut by the previous Conservative government we will continue to make the necessary investments to enhance our tracing capacity and reduce the number of guns being smuggled across the border. We will continue to also work with our partners from other levels of government to develop an approach to address handguns.The Government also intends to build on previous investments in youth and community measures, because we know that better social conditions lead to a reduction in crime and violence.These initiatives were identified as a priority by our Government, both in the Throne Speech and in the Prime Minister’s mandate letter to the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness and we are committed to addressing these important issues as soon as possible.
Response by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada Signed by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): The Honourable David LamettiPursuant to the mandate letters of the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Public Safety, work is ongoing towards the implementation of a robust set of firearms commitments, including a prohibition on military-style assault rifles with a two-year Criminal Code amnesty and buy-back program, and imposing stronger Criminal Code penalties for gun smuggling.On May 1, 2020, the Governor in Council promulgated regulations prohibiting certain assault-style firearms on the basis that they: (1) have semi-automatic action with sustained rapid-fire capability (tactical/military design with large magazine capacity; (2) are of modern design; and (3) are present in large volumes in the Canadian market. The Governor in Council has had the power to prescribe firearms as prohibited or restricted by regulation for several decades. This power was re-enacted in section 117.15 of the Criminal Code, which received Royal Assent in 1998.In making the regulations, the Governor in Council was of the view that these firearms are not reasonable for hunting or sports shooting because of the risk that they pose to public safety.An accompanying two-year Amnesty Order to protect law-abiding gun owners from criminal prosecution until they can come into compliance with the law was also made. The Government has also announced its intention to introduce a buy-back program.The Government knows that the cross-border smuggling of firearms also poses a threat to the safety and security of Canadians. The Government is committed to taking action to prevent smuggled guns from entering Canada and also for introducing tougher penalties for trafficking and smuggling offences, in addition to continuing to make important investments in the Canada Border Services Agency and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to strengthen border controls and reduce the number of guns being smuggled across the borders. These initiatives will build on work that is already underway.The Minister of Public Safety has also publicly committed to additional reforms requiring amendments to the Criminal Code, including increased penalties for straw purchasing (a form of firearms trafficking); and, permitting an individual to apply to a court for an emergency weapons prohibition order to apply to another individual, otherwise known as “red flag laws.”In November 2017, the Government has made available funding of up to $327.6 million over five years through the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence to combat gun-related violence and gang activities, including by supporting law enforcement and community-led projects focused on crime prevention.In addition, more than $200 million is now flowing directly to the provinces and territories to target initiatives that best meet the unique needs of individual communities to advance efforts in areas of prevention, gang exit, outreach and awareness training as well as enhanced intelligence sharing and law enforcement capacity. With the funding allocations, jurisdictions have made investments to support new law enforcement activities including specialized training and education initiatives and improving data collection and information sharing. Provinces and territories have also prioritized a number of prevention intervention initiatives. Building on these achievements, the Government has committed to invest additional funding to help municipalities meet the needs of communities at risk to fight gang-related violence and expand diversion programs to keep youth out of the criminal justice system.
FirearmsParliamentary democracy
43rd Parliament223Government response tabledNovember 16, 2020e-2626e-2626 (Democratic process)IanBradburyAlexRuffBruce—Grey—Owen SoundConservativeONJuly 7, 2020, at 9:44 a.m. (EDT)September 5, 2020, at 9:44 a.m. (EDT)September 25, 2020November 16, 2020September 8, 2020Petition to the <Addressee type="1" affiliationId="" mp-riding-display="1">House of Commons</Addressee>Whereas:Responsible parliamentary leaders and decision makers should be required to undergo relevant and critical training and certification;Firearms are part of the Canadian way of life, and they have been since confederation;Knowing the laws and measures required is a critical part of legal, safe and responsible ownership;Prior to making responsible decisions on firearms Canadians are required to undergo both training and certification processes;The Firearms Act requires that Canadians wishing to acquire firearms must take the Canadian Firearms Safety Course (CFSC) and pass both written and practical handling tests for the classification of firearms they are seeking;Because firearms use and ownership is a core part of the Canadian way of life, because firearms have become politicized within Canada, and because much of the Canadian public discourse is often misinformed based on American laws and influence and other external influences, it is reasonable for citizens to expect that Members of Parliament would obtain relevant, factual and uniquely Canadian information and understandings before informing or passing legislation.We, the undersigned, Citizens of Canada, call upon the House of Commons to hold a scheduled debate surrounding the idea that all Members of Parliament (i) who are expected to inform on, or make decisions on, firearms legislation, and (ii) who do not already have a valid Canadian Restricted Possession and Acquisition License, undergo the Canadian Firearms Safety Course and subsequently apply for their Restricted Possession and Acquisition License, within 12 months of this debate, or before passing firearms-related legislation or measures, whichever comes first.
Response by the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency PreparednessSigned by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): Joël Lightbound, M.P.On May 1, 2020, the Government announced the immediate prohibition of over 1,500 models of assault-style firearms that are specifically designed for soldiers to shoot other soldiers. The prohibition limits access to the most dangerous firearms and removes them from the Canadian market. Last September, the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police declared their support for a prohibition on all military-designed assault rifles. In their view, “these weapons have no place in our communities and should be reserved for use by Canada’s military and law enforcement.”Additionally, the current Chief of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police has declared that this prohibition “finds balance” as it “ensures the safety of our members” while not limiting “those that recreationally participate in hunting or those that actually live off the land.”The affected firearms were chosen using the following set of principles: (1) semi-automatic action with sustain rapid-fire capability (tactical/military design with large magazine capacity), (2) modern design, and (3) are present in large volumes in the Canadian market. Also included in the prohibition are two categories of firearms that exceed safe civilian use. These are characterized by the following physical attributes: a 20 mm bore or greater (e.g., grenade launcher) and the capacity to discharge a projectile with a muzzle energy greater than 10,000 joules (e.g. a .50 calibre BMG).The government used the term “assault-style firearms” in the Reducing Violent Crime: A Dialogue on Handguns Assault-Style Firearms – Engagement Summary Report. Previous to this, sellers had often referred to many of these firearms as “assault rifles.” For example, in the Calgary Herald in 1976, a seller offered an AR-15 semi-automatic “assault rifle.” The Montreal Gazette also ran an advertisement for an AR-15A2 semi-automatic “assault rifle” in 1985. During this period, there were a number of gun stores who sold “Assault Rifles”, which included both the AR-15 and Mini-Ruger 14. These are firearms that are now prohibited.The Government has concluded that the firearms prohibited on May 1, 2020, are not reasonable for hunting or sporting purposes, which is the standard established by Parliament in the Criminal Code.Minister Blair successfully completed training in firearms and firearms laws, regulation, investigation and prosecutions at the Ontario Police College, the Toronto Police College, the Canadian Police College, the Federal Bureau of Investigation Academy (Quantico, Virginia). Minister Blair was also trained and qualified as a criminal investigator and established the integrated Guns and Gangs unit in Toronto. As a police officer, Minister Blair completed annual firearm training, both in the classroom and range 39 times.
FirearmsParliamentary democracy
43rd Parliament223Government response tabledSeptember 24, 2020431-00257431-00257 (Democratic process)GarnettGenuisSherwood Park—Fort SaskatchewanConservativeABJune 15, 2020September 24, 2020June 9, 2020Petition to the House of CommonsWe, the undersigned citizens of Canada, draw the attention of the House of Commons to the following:Whereas, virtually all violent gun crime committed in Canada (including the recent shooting in Nova Scotia) involves illegal firearms, in the hands of those who are already not permitted to possess them; Whereas the government must take action to strengthen enforcement, fight gun smuggling, and keep guns out of the hands of violent people; Whereas targeting law-abiding citizens who have already demonstrated that they have the knowledge and character required to use guns safely will not improve public safety; And whereas taking away the property of law-abiding citizens is a distraction from the important work that needs to be done keeping guns out of the hands of criminals.We the undersigned therefore, urge the House of Commons and the Government of Canada to:
  • Reverse the Order in Council banning certain firearms imposed on May 1st;
  • Propose measures that will effectively address the illegal use of firearms by criminals, while respecting the rights of law-abiding citizens;
  • Ensure that substantial changes to Canada's firearms laws are only ever made by Parliament, not by the government or the RCMP acting unilaterally.
Response by the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency PreparednessSigned by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): Joël Lightbound, M.PCanadians deserve to live in a society where they can feel safe and secure from gun violence. The Government of Canada has prohibited assault-style firearms as they are not reasonable for hunting or sport shooting purposes given the inherent danger that they pose to public safety. The prohibition limits access to the most dangerous firearms that are characterized by their design and their capability of inflicting significant harm to Canadians. The prohibition reduces the number and availability of assault style firearms and other firearms that exceed safe civilian use in Canada, and lowers the possibility of these firearms being diverted to the illegal market.For decades chiefs of police had been advocating for additional restrictions, and even a prohibition, of military-style assault rifles. The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police previously passed a resolution declaring that military assault rifles were produced for the “sole purpose of killing people in large numbers” and asked the Minister of Justice to “ban all military assault rifles except for law enforcement and military purposes.” Last September the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police expressed support for a prohibition on all military-designed assault rifles, averring that “these weapons have no place in our communities and should be reserved for use by Canada’s military and law enforcement.” Following the prohibition of these weapons, Toronto’s police chief also declared that “taking military assault style rifles off the streets contributes to public safety.”Through Section 117.15 of the Criminal Code, Parliament provides the Government with the authority to prescribe the classification of firearms. We have exercised that authority to benefit the safety and security of Canadians, within limits set by Parliament. The affected firearms are prohibited as they (1) have semi-automatic action with sustain rapid-fire capability (tactical/military design with large magazine capacity), (2) are of modern design, and (3) are present in large volumes in the Canadian market. This authority has existed for decades and has been exercised several times over the years including by the previous Conservative Government.We have been clear that our prohibition will be fair to law-abiding hunters or sport shooters. We have also signaled our intent to implement a buyback program that will provide compensation to affected owners. We are looking at a range of options, and will work with Parliament as well as the provinces and territories (PTs) to get this right for law-abiding gun owners and businesses.While the prohibition is a crucial first step, it is only one of a series of measures that we will to take to target firearm-related crime in this country. At the first opportunity we will introduce legislation that will strengthen gun control. We intend to introduce a red-flag regime in order to better protect public safety, strengthen firearms storage requirements to deter theft, enhance police tracing capacity, and work with our partners from other levels of government to give municipalities the ability to further restrict handguns.We are also committed to combatting gun-related violence and gang activities and to strengthening border security, and increasing police anti-gang capacities. This will build on work that is already underway.We announced funding of up to $327.6 million over five years through the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence (the Initiative) to combat gun-related violence and gang activities, including by supporting law enforcement and community-led projects focused on prevention.More than $200 million is now flowing directly to PTs to target initiatives that best meet the unique needs of individual communities to advance efforts in areas of prevention, gang exit, outreach and awareness training as well as enhanced intelligence sharing and law enforcement capacity. With the funding allocations, jurisdictions have made investments to support new law enforcement activities including specialized training and education initiatives and improving data collection and information sharing. PTs have also prioritized a number of prevention intervention initiatives. Building on these achievements, our Government has committed to investing additional funding to help municipalities meet the needs of communities at risk to fight gang-related violence and expand diversion programs to keep youth out of the criminal justice system.The Government knows that the cross-border smuggling of firearms also poses a threat to the safety and security of Canadians. We are committed to taking action to prevent smuggled guns from entering Canada. We will introduce tougher penalties for trafficking and smuggling offences and will continue to make important investments in the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) to strengthen border controls and reduce the number of guns being smuggled across the our borders. These initiatives will build on work that is already underway.Following hundreds of millions of dollars in cuts to our agencies by the previous Conservative government, we are rebuilding capacity. The CBSA is receiving $51.5 million over five years through the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence to enhance its capacity to stem the flow of inadmissible travellers and illegal firearms entering Canada at vulnerable points of entry and through postal facilities. It is also procuring equipment to enhance air cargo security and pallet imaging, intelligence collection and production abilities, and improving border operations through measures aimed at enhancing the CBSA’s capacity to detect and interdict illegal firearms at the border. The CBSA continues to work with key domestic and US law enforcement partners to generate leads, as well as support and assist with interdiction efforts.In addition, the RCMP is receiving $34.5 million through the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence to enhance its capacity to conduct investigations related to the criminal use of firearms as well as to provide law enforcement with enhanced access to training, technology and data to keep illicit firearms out of Canada and detect and report on criminal gang activities. The RCMP has created the Integrated Criminal Firearms Initiative to expand and enhance existing services available to support firearms investigations nationwide. This includes providing anonymous online capabilities to investigate firearms trafficking and smuggling, conducting physical firearms inspections, enhancing analytical capacity to develop and produce actionable intelligence, and supporting stakeholder outreach among partners to advance focused initiatives. The RCMP is also prioritizing strategic intelligence analysis related to street gangs and the procurement of advanced technologies to expedite and further support the analysis of ballistics and illicit manufacturing of firearms.We will continue working to enhance public safety by focusing on prevention, effective law enforcement and strong community partnerships.
Response by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada Signed by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): The Honourable David LamettiPursuant to the mandate letters of the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Public Safety, work is ongoing towards the implementation of a robust set of firearms commitments, including a prohibition on military-style assault rifles with a two-year Criminal Code amnesty and buy-back program, and imposing stronger Criminal Code penalties for gun smuggling.On May 1, 2020, the Governor in Council promulgated regulations prohibiting certain assault-style firearms on the basis that they: (1) have semi-automatic action with sustained rapid-fire capability (tactical/military design with large magazine capacity; (2) are of modern design; and (3) are present in large volumes in the Canadian market. The Governor in Council has had the power to prescribe firearms as prohibited or restricted by regulation for several decades. This power was re-enacted in section 117.15 of the Criminal Code, which received Royal Assent in 1998, and this is the power used to make these regulations.In making the regulations, the Governor in Council was of the view that these firearms are not reasonable for hunting or sports shooting because of the risk that they pose to public safety.An accompanying two-year Amnesty Order to protect law-abiding gun owners from criminal prosecution until they can come into compliance with the law was also made. The Government has also announced its intention to introduce a buy-back program.The Government knows that the cross-border smuggling of firearms also poses a threat to the safety and security of Canadians. The Government is committed to taking action to prevent smuggled guns from entering Canada and also for introducing tougher penalties for trafficking and smuggling offences, in addition to continuing to make important investments in the Canada Border Services Agency and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to strengthen border controls and reduce the number of guns being smuggled across the borders. These initiatives will build on work that is already underway.The Minister of Public Safety has also publicly committed to additional reforms requiring amendments to the Criminal Code, including increased penalties for straw purchasing (a form of firearms trafficking); and, permitting an individual to apply to a court for an emergency weapons prohibition order to apply to another individual, otherwise known as “red flag laws.”The Government has made available funding of up to $327.6 million over five years through the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence to combat gun-related violence and gang activities, including by supporting law enforcement and community-led projects focused on prevention.More than $200 million is now flowing directly to the provinces and territories to target initiatives that best meet the unique needs of individual communities to advance efforts in areas of prevention, gang exit, outreach and awareness training as well as enhanced intelligence sharing and law enforcement capacity. With the funding allocations, jurisdictions have made investments to support new law enforcement activities including specialized training and education initiatives and improving data collection and information sharing. Provinces and territories have also prioritized a number of prevention intervention initiatives. Building on these achievements, the Government has committed to invest additional funding to help municipalities meet the needs of communities at risk to fight gang-related violence and expand diversion programs to keep youth out of the criminal justice system.
FirearmsParliamentary democracy
43rd Parliament223Government response tabledSeptember 24, 2020431-00267431-00267 (Democratic process)GarnettGenuisSherwood Park—Fort SaskatchewanConservativeABJune 16, 2020September 24, 2020June 9, 2020Petition to the House of CommonsWe, the undersigned citizens of Canada, draw the attention of the House of Commons to the following:Whereas, virtually all violent gun crime committed in Canada (including the recent shooting in Nova Scotia) involves illegal firearms, in the hands of those who are already not permitted to possess them; Whereas the government must take action to strengthen enforcement, fight gun smuggling, and keep guns out of the hands of violent people; Whereas targeting law-abiding citizens who have already demonstrated that they have the knowledge and character required to use guns safely will not improve public safety; And whereas taking away the property of law-abiding citizens is a distraction from the important work that needs to be done keeping guns out of the hands of criminals.We the undersigned therefore, urge the House of Commons and the Government of Canada to:
  • Reverse the Order in Council banning certain firearms imposed on May 1st;
  • Propose measures that will effectively address the illegal use of firearms by criminals, while respecting the rights of law-abiding citizens;
  • Ensure that substantial changes to Canada's firearms laws are only ever made by Parliament, not by the government or the RCMP acting unilaterally.
Response by the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency PreparednessSigned by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): Joël Lightbound, M.PCanadians deserve to live in a society where they can feel safe and secure from gun violence. The Government of Canada has prohibited assault-style firearms as they are not reasonable for hunting or sport shooting purposes given the inherent danger that they pose to public safety. The prohibition limits access to the most dangerous firearms that are characterized by their design and their capability of inflicting significant harm to Canadians. The prohibition reduces the number and availability of assault style firearms and other firearms that exceed safe civilian use in Canada, and lowers the possibility of these firearms being diverted to the illegal market.For decades chiefs of police had been advocating for additional restrictions, and even a prohibition, of military-style assault rifles. The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police previously passed a resolution declaring that military assault rifles were produced for the “sole purpose of killing people in large numbers” and asked the Minister of Justice to “ban all military assault rifles except for law enforcement and military purposes.” Last September the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police expressed support for a prohibition on all military-designed assault rifles, averring that “these weapons have no place in our communities and should be reserved for use by Canada’s military and law enforcement.” Following the prohibition of these weapons, Toronto’s police chief also declared that “taking military assault style rifles off the streets contributes to public safety.”Through Section 117.15 of the Criminal Code, Parliament provides the Government with the authority to prescribe the classification of firearms. We have exercised that authority to benefit the safety and security of Canadians, within limits set by Parliament. The affected firearms are prohibited as they (1) have semi-automatic action with sustain rapid-fire capability (tactical/military design with large magazine capacity), (2) are of modern design, and (3) are present in large volumes in the Canadian market. This authority has existed for decades and has been exercised several times over the years including by the previous Conservative Government.We have been clear that our prohibition will be fair to law-abiding hunters or sport shooters. We have also signaled our intent to implement a buyback program that will provide compensation to affected owners. We are looking at a range of options, and will work with Parliament as well as the provinces and territories (PTs) to get this right for law-abiding gun owners and businesses.While the prohibition is a crucial first step, it is only one of a series of measures that we will to take to target firearm-related crime in this country. At the first opportunity we will introduce legislation that will strengthen gun control. We intend to introduce a red-flag regime in order to better protect public safety, strengthen firearms storage requirements to deter theft, enhance police tracing capacity, and work with our partners from other levels of government to give municipalities the ability to further restrict handguns.We are also committed to combatting gun-related violence and gang activities and to strengthening border security, and increasing police anti-gang capacities. This will build on work that is already underway.We announced funding of up to $327.6 million over five years through the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence (the Initiative) to combat gun-related violence and gang activities, including by supporting law enforcement and community-led projects focused on prevention.More than $200 million is now flowing directly to PTs to target initiatives that best meet the unique needs of individual communities to advance efforts in areas of prevention, gang exit, outreach and awareness training as well as enhanced intelligence sharing and law enforcement capacity. With the funding allocations, jurisdictions have made investments to support new law enforcement activities including specialized training and education initiatives and improving data collection and information sharing. PTs have also prioritized a number of prevention intervention initiatives. Building on these achievements, our Government has committed to investing additional funding to help municipalities meet the needs of communities at risk to fight gang-related violence and expand diversion programs to keep youth out of the criminal justice system.The Government knows that the cross-border smuggling of firearms also poses a threat to the safety and security of Canadians. We are committed to taking action to prevent smuggled guns from entering Canada. We will introduce tougher penalties for trafficking and smuggling offences and will continue to make important investments in the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) to strengthen border controls and reduce the number of guns being smuggled across the our borders. These initiatives will build on work that is already underway.Following hundreds of millions of dollars in cuts to our agencies by the previous Conservative government, we are rebuilding capacity. The CBSA is receiving $51.5 million over five years through the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence to enhance its capacity to stem the flow of inadmissible travellers and illegal firearms entering Canada at vulnerable points of entry and through postal facilities. It is also procuring equipment to enhance air cargo security and pallet imaging, intelligence collection and production abilities, and improving border operations through measures aimed at enhancing the CBSA’s capacity to detect and interdict illegal firearms at the border. The CBSA continues to work with key domestic and US law enforcement partners to generate leads, as well as support and assist with interdiction efforts.In addition, the RCMP is receiving $34.5 million through the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence to enhance its capacity to conduct investigations related to the criminal use of firearms as well as to provide law enforcement with enhanced access to training, technology and data to keep illicit firearms out of Canada and detect and report on criminal gang activities. The RCMP has created the Integrated Criminal Firearms Initiative to expand and enhance existing services available to support firearms investigations nationwide. This includes providing anonymous online capabilities to investigate firearms trafficking and smuggling, conducting physical firearms inspections, enhancing analytical capacity to develop and produce actionable intelligence, and supporting stakeholder outreach among partners to advance focused initiatives. The RCMP is also prioritizing strategic intelligence analysis related to street gangs and the procurement of advanced technologies to expedite and further support the analysis of ballistics and illicit manufacturing of firearms.We will continue working to enhance public safety by focusing on prevention, effective law enforcement and strong community partnerships.
Response by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada Signed by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): The Honourable David LamettiPursuant to the mandate letters of the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Public Safety, work is ongoing towards the implementation of a robust set of firearms commitments, including a prohibition on military-style assault rifles with a two-year Criminal Code amnesty and buy-back program, and imposing stronger Criminal Code penalties for gun smuggling.On May 1, 2020, the Governor in Council promulgated regulations prohibiting certain assault-style firearms on the basis that they: (1) have semi-automatic action with sustained rapid-fire capability (tactical/military design with large magazine capacity; (2) are of modern design; and (3) are present in large volumes in the Canadian market. The Governor in Council has had the power to prescribe firearms as prohibited or restricted by regulation for several decades. This power was re-enacted in section 117.15 of the Criminal Code, which received Royal Assent in 1998, and this is the power used to make these regulations.In making the regulations, the Governor in Council was of the view that these firearms are not reasonable for hunting or sports shooting because of the risk that they pose to public safety.An accompanying two-year Amnesty Order to protect law-abiding gun owners from criminal prosecution until they can come into compliance with the law was also made. The Government has also announced its intention to introduce a buy-back program.The Government knows that the cross-border smuggling of firearms also poses a threat to the safety and security of Canadians. The Government is committed to taking action to prevent smuggled guns from entering Canada and also for introducing tougher penalties for trafficking and smuggling offences, in addition to continuing to make important investments in the Canada Border Services Agency and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to strengthen border controls and reduce the number of guns being smuggled across the borders. These initiatives will build on work that is already underway.The Minister of Public Safety has also publicly committed to additional reforms requiring amendments to the Criminal Code, including increased penalties for straw purchasing (a form of firearms trafficking); and, permitting an individual to apply to a court for an emergency weapons prohibition order to apply to another individual, otherwise known as “red flag laws.”The Government has made available funding of up to $327.6 million over five years through the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence to combat gun-related violence and gang activities, including by supporting law enforcement and community-led projects focused on prevention.More than $200 million is now flowing directly to the provinces and territories to target initiatives that best meet the unique needs of individual communities to advance efforts in areas of prevention, gang exit, outreach and awareness training as well as enhanced intelligence sharing and law enforcement capacity. With the funding allocations, jurisdictions have made investments to support new law enforcement activities including specialized training and education initiatives and improving data collection and information sharing. Provinces and territories have also prioritized a number of prevention intervention initiatives. Building on these achievements, the Government has committed to invest additional funding to help municipalities meet the needs of communities at risk to fight gang-related violence and expand diversion programs to keep youth out of the criminal justice system.
FirearmsParliamentary democracy
43rd Parliament223Government response tabledSeptember 24, 2020431-00272431-00272 (Democratic process)GarnettGenuisSherwood Park—Fort SaskatchewanConservativeABJune 17, 2020September 24, 2020June 9, 2020Petition to the House of CommonsWe, the undersigned citizens of Canada, draw the attention of the House of Commons to the following:Whereas, virtually all violent gun crime committed in Canada (including the recent shooting in Nova Scotia) involves illegal firearms, in the hands of those who are already not permitted to possess them; Whereas the government must take action to strengthen enforcement, fight gun smuggling, and keep guns out of the hands of violent people; Whereas targeting law-abiding citizens who have already demonstrated that they have the knowledge and character required to use guns safely will not improve public safety; And whereas taking away the property of law-abiding citizens is a distraction from the important work that needs to be done keeping guns out of the hands of criminals.We the undersigned therefore, urge the House of Commons and the Government of Canada to:
  • Reverse the Order in Council banning certain firearms imposed on May 1st;
  • Propose measures that will effectively address the illegal use of firearms by criminals, while respecting the rights of law-abiding citizens;
  • Ensure that substantial changes to Canada's firearms laws are only ever made by Parliament, not by the government or the RCMP acting unilaterally.
Response by the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency PreparednessSigned by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): Joël Lightbound, M.PCanadians deserve to live in a society where they can feel safe and secure from gun violence. The Government of Canada has prohibited assault-style firearms as they are not reasonable for hunting or sport shooting purposes given the inherent danger that they pose to public safety. The prohibition limits access to the most dangerous firearms that are characterized by their design and their capability of inflicting significant harm to Canadians. The prohibition reduces the number and availability of assault style firearms and other firearms that exceed safe civilian use in Canada, and lowers the possibility of these firearms being diverted to the illegal market.For decades chiefs of police had been advocating for additional restrictions, and even a prohibition, of military-style assault rifles. The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police previously passed a resolution declaring that military assault rifles were produced for the “sole purpose of killing people in large numbers” and asked the Minister of Justice to “ban all military assault rifles except for law enforcement and military purposes.” Last September the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police expressed support for a prohibition on all military-designed assault rifles, averring that “these weapons have no place in our communities and should be reserved for use by Canada’s military and law enforcement.” Following the prohibition of these weapons, Toronto’s police chief also declared that “taking military assault style rifles off the streets contributes to public safety.”Through Section 117.15 of the Criminal Code, Parliament provides the Government with the authority to prescribe the classification of firearms. We have exercised that authority to benefit the safety and security of Canadians, within limits set by Parliament. The affected firearms are prohibited as they (1) have semi-automatic action with sustain rapid-fire capability (tactical/military design with large magazine capacity), (2) are of modern design, and (3) are present in large volumes in the Canadian market. This authority has existed for decades and has been exercised several times over the years including by the previous Conservative Government.We have been clear that our prohibition will be fair to law-abiding hunters or sport shooters. We have also signaled our intent to implement a buyback program that will provide compensation to affected owners. We are looking at a range of options, and will work with Parliament as well as the provinces and territories (PTs) to get this right for law-abiding gun owners and businesses.While the prohibition is a crucial first step, it is only one of a series of measures that we will to take to target firearm-related crime in this country. At the first opportunity we will introduce legislation that will strengthen gun control. We intend to introduce a red-flag regime in order to better protect public safety, strengthen firearms storage requirements to deter theft, enhance police tracing capacity, and work with our partners from other levels of government to give municipalities the ability to further restrict handguns.We are also committed to combatting gun-related violence and gang activities and to strengthening border security, and increasing police anti-gang capacities. This will build on work that is already underway.We announced funding of up to $327.6 million over five years through the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence (the Initiative) to combat gun-related violence and gang activities, including by supporting law enforcement and community-led projects focused on prevention.More than $200 million is now flowing directly to PTs to target initiatives that best meet the unique needs of individual communities to advance efforts in areas of prevention, gang exit, outreach and awareness training as well as enhanced intelligence sharing and law enforcement capacity. With the funding allocations, jurisdictions have made investments to support new law enforcement activities including specialized training and education initiatives and improving data collection and information sharing. PTs have also prioritized a number of prevention intervention initiatives. Building on these achievements, our Government has committed to investing additional funding to help municipalities meet the needs of communities at risk to fight gang-related violence and expand diversion programs to keep youth out of the criminal justice system.The Government knows that the cross-border smuggling of firearms also poses a threat to the safety and security of Canadians. We are committed to taking action to prevent smuggled guns from entering Canada. We will introduce tougher penalties for trafficking and smuggling offences and will continue to make important investments in the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) to strengthen border controls and reduce the number of guns being smuggled across the our borders. These initiatives will build on work that is already underway.Following hundreds of millions of dollars in cuts to our agencies by the previous Conservative government, we are rebuilding capacity. The CBSA is receiving $51.5 million over five years through the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence to enhance its capacity to stem the flow of inadmissible travellers and illegal firearms entering Canada at vulnerable points of entry and through postal facilities. It is also procuring equipment to enhance air cargo security and pallet imaging, intelligence collection and production abilities, and improving border operations through measures aimed at enhancing the CBSA’s capacity to detect and interdict illegal firearms at the border. The CBSA continues to work with key domestic and US law enforcement partners to generate leads, as well as support and assist with interdiction efforts.In addition, the RCMP is receiving $34.5 million through the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence to enhance its capacity to conduct investigations related to the criminal use of firearms as well as to provide law enforcement with enhanced access to training, technology and data to keep illicit firearms out of Canada and detect and report on criminal gang activities. The RCMP has created the Integrated Criminal Firearms Initiative to expand and enhance existing services available to support firearms investigations nationwide. This includes providing anonymous online capabilities to investigate firearms trafficking and smuggling, conducting physical firearms inspections, enhancing analytical capacity to develop and produce actionable intelligence, and supporting stakeholder outreach among partners to advance focused initiatives. The RCMP is also prioritizing strategic intelligence analysis related to street gangs and the procurement of advanced technologies to expedite and further support the analysis of ballistics and illicit manufacturing of firearms.We will continue working to enhance public safety by focusing on prevention, effective law enforcement and strong community partnerships.
Response by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada Signed by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): The Honourable David LamettiPursuant to the mandate letters of the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Public Safety, work is ongoing towards the implementation of a robust set of firearms commitments, including a prohibition on military-style assault rifles with a two-year Criminal Code amnesty and buy-back program, and imposing stronger Criminal Code penalties for gun smuggling.On May 1, 2020, the Governor in Council promulgated regulations prohibiting certain assault-style firearms on the basis that they: (1) have semi-automatic action with sustained rapid-fire capability (tactical/military design with large magazine capacity; (2) are of modern design; and (3) are present in large volumes in the Canadian market. The Governor in Council has had the power to prescribe firearms as prohibited or restricted by regulation for several decades. This power was re-enacted in section 117.15 of the Criminal Code, which received Royal Assent in 1998, and this is the power used to make these regulations.In making the regulations, the Governor in Council was of the view that these firearms are not reasonable for hunting or sports shooting because of the risk that they pose to public safety.An accompanying two-year Amnesty Order to protect law-abiding gun owners from criminal prosecution until they can come into compliance with the law was also made. The Government has also announced its intention to introduce a buy-back program.The Government knows that the cross-border smuggling of firearms also poses a threat to the safety and security of Canadians. The Government is committed to taking action to prevent smuggled guns from entering Canada and also for introducing tougher penalties for trafficking and smuggling offences, in addition to continuing to make important investments in the Canada Border Services Agency and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to strengthen border controls and reduce the number of guns being smuggled across the borders. These initiatives will build on work that is already underway.The Minister of Public Safety has also publicly committed to additional reforms requiring amendments to the Criminal Code, including increased penalties for straw purchasing (a form of firearms trafficking); and, permitting an individual to apply to a court for an emergency weapons prohibition order to apply to another individual, otherwise known as “red flag laws.”The Government has made available funding of up to $327.6 million over five years through the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence to combat gun-related violence and gang activities, including by supporting law enforcement and community-led projects focused on prevention.More than $200 million is now flowing directly to the provinces and territories to target initiatives that best meet the unique needs of individual communities to advance efforts in areas of prevention, gang exit, outreach and awareness training as well as enhanced intelligence sharing and law enforcement capacity. With the funding allocations, jurisdictions have made investments to support new law enforcement activities including specialized training and education initiatives and improving data collection and information sharing. Provinces and territories have also prioritized a number of prevention intervention initiatives. Building on these achievements, the Government has committed to invest additional funding to help municipalities meet the needs of communities at risk to fight gang-related violence and expand diversion programs to keep youth out of the criminal justice system.
FirearmsParliamentary democracy
43rd Parliament223Government response tabledSeptember 24, 2020431-00291431-00291 (Democratic process)GarnettGenuisSherwood Park—Fort SaskatchewanConservativeABJune 18, 2020September 24, 2020June 9, 2020Petition to the House of CommonsWe, the undersigned citizens of Canada, draw the attention of the House of Commons to the following:Whereas, virtually all violent gun crime committed in Canada (including the recent shooting in Nova Scotia) involves illegal firearms, in the hands of those who are already not permitted to possess them; Whereas the government must take action to strengthen enforcement, fight gun smuggling, and keep guns out of the hands of violent people; Whereas targeting law-abiding citizens who have already demonstrated that they have the knowledge and character required to use guns safely will not improve public safety; And whereas taking away the property of law-abiding citizens is a distraction from the important work that needs to be done keeping guns out of the hands of criminals.We the undersigned therefore, urge the House of Commons and the Government of Canada to:
  • Reverse the Order in Council banning certain firearms imposed on May 1st;
  • Propose measures that will effectively address the illegal use of firearms by criminals, while respecting the rights of law-abiding citizens;
  • Ensure that substantial changes to Canada's firearms laws are only ever made by Parliament, not by the government or the RCMP acting unilaterally.
Response by the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency PreparednessSigned by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): Joël Lightbound, M.PCanadians deserve to live in a society where they can feel safe and secure from gun violence. The Government of Canada has prohibited assault-style firearms as they are not reasonable for hunting or sport shooting purposes given the inherent danger that they pose to public safety. The prohibition limits access to the most dangerous firearms that are characterized by their design and their capability of inflicting significant harm to Canadians. The prohibition reduces the number and availability of assault style firearms and other firearms that exceed safe civilian use in Canada, and lowers the possibility of these firearms being diverted to the illegal market. For decades chiefs of police had been advocating for additional restrictions, and even a prohibition, of military-style assault rifles. The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police previously passed a resolution declaring that military assault rifles were produced for the “sole purpose of killing people in large numbers” and asked the Minister of Justice to “ban all military assault rifles except for law enforcement and military purposes.” Last September the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police expressed support for a prohibition on all military-designed assault rifles, averring that “these weapons have no place in our communities and should be reserved for use by Canada’s military and law enforcement.” Following the prohibition of these weapons, Toronto’s police chief also declared that “taking military assault style rifles off the streets contributes to public safety.” Through Section 117.15 of the Criminal Code, Parliament provides the Government with the authority to prescribe the classification of firearms. We have exercised that authority to benefit the safety and security of Canadians, within limits set by Parliament. The affected firearms are prohibited as they (1) have semi-automatic action with sustain rapid-fire capability (tactical/military design with large magazine capacity), (2) are of modern design, and (3) are present in large volumes in the Canadian market. This authority has existed for decades and has been exercised several times over the years including by the previous Conservative Government. We have been clear that our prohibition will be fair to law-abiding hunters or sport shooters. We have also signaled our intent to implement a buyback program that will provide compensation to affected owners. We are looking at a range of options, and will work with Parliament as well as the provinces and territories (PTs) to get this right for law-abiding gun owners and businesses. While the prohibition is a crucial first step, it is only one of a series of measures that we will to take to target firearm-related crime in this country. At the first opportunity we will introduce legislation that will strengthen gun control. We intend to introduce a red-flag regime in order to better protect public safety, strengthen firearms storage requirements to deter theft, enhance police tracing capacity, and work with our partners from other levels of government to give municipalities the ability to further restrict handguns. We are also committed to combatting gun-related violence and gang activities and to strengthening border security, and increasing police anti-gang capacities. This will build on work that is already underway. We announced funding of up to $327.6 million over five years through the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence (the Initiative) to combat gun-related violence and gang activities, including by supporting law enforcement and community-led projects focused on prevention. More than $200 million is now flowing directly to PTs to target initiatives that best meet the unique needs of individual communities to advance efforts in areas of prevention, gang exit, outreach and awareness training as well as enhanced intelligence sharing and law enforcement capacity. With the funding allocations, jurisdictions have made investments to support new law enforcement activities including specialized training and education initiatives and improving data collection and information sharing. PTs have also prioritized a number of prevention intervention initiatives. Building on these achievements, our Government has committed to investing additional funding to help municipalities meet the needs of communities at risk to fight gang-related violence and expand diversion programs to keep youth out of the criminal justice system. The Government knows that the cross-border smuggling of firearms also poses a threat to the safety and security of Canadians. We are committed to taking action to prevent smuggled guns from entering Canada. We will introduce tougher penalties for trafficking and smuggling offences and will continue to make important investments in the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) to strengthen border controls and reduce the number of guns being smuggled across the our borders. These initiatives will build on work that is already underway. Following hundreds of millions of dollars in cuts to our agencies by the previous Conservative government, we are rebuilding capacity. The CBSA is receiving $51.5 million over five years through the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence to enhance its capacity to stem the flow of inadmissible travellers and illegal firearms entering Canada at vulnerable points of entry and through postal facilities. It is also procuring equipment to enhance air cargo security and pallet imaging, intelligence collection and production abilities, and improving border operations through measures aimed at enhancing the CBSA’s capacity to detect and interdict illegal firearms at the border. The CBSA continues to work with key domestic and US law enforcement partners to generate leads, as well as support and assist with interdiction efforts. In addition, the RCMP is receiving $34.5 million through the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence to enhance its capacity to conduct investigations related to the criminal use of firearms as well as to provide law enforcement with enhanced access to training, technology and data to keep illicit firearms out of Canada and detect and report on criminal gang activities. The RCMP has created the Integrated Criminal Firearms Initiative to expand and enhance existing services available to support firearms investigations nationwide. This includes providing anonymous online capabilities to investigate firearms trafficking and smuggling, conducting physical firearms inspections, enhancing analytical capacity to develop and produce actionable intelligence, and supporting stakeholder outreach among partners to advance focused initiatives. The RCMP is also prioritizing strategic intelligence analysis related to street gangs and the procurement of advanced technologies to expedite and further support the analysis of ballistics and illicit manufacturing of firearms. We will continue working to enhance public safety by focusing on prevention, effective law enforcement and strong community partnerships.
Response by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada Signed by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): The Honourable David LamettiPursuant to the mandate letters of the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Public Safety, work is ongoing towards the implementation of a robust set of firearms commitments, including a prohibition on military-style assault rifles with a two-year Criminal Code amnesty and buy-back program, and imposing stronger Criminal Code penalties for gun smuggling.On May 1, 2020, the Governor in Council promulgated regulations prohibiting certain assault-style firearms on the basis that they: (1) have semi-automatic action with sustained rapid-fire capability (tactical/military design with large magazine capacity; (2) are of modern design; and (3) are present in large volumes in the Canadian market. The Governor in Council has had the power to prescribe firearms as prohibited or restricted by regulation for several decades. This power was re-enacted in section 117.15 of the Criminal Code, which received Royal Assent in 1998, and this is the power used to make these regulations.In making the regulations, the Governor in Council was of the view that these firearms are not reasonable for hunting or sports shooting because of the risk that they pose to public safety.An accompanying two-year Amnesty Order to protect law-abiding gun owners from criminal prosecution until they can come into compliance with the law was also made. The Government has also announced its intention to introduce a buy-back program.The Government knows that the cross-border smuggling of firearms also poses a threat to the safety and security of Canadians. The Government is committed to taking action to prevent smuggled guns from entering Canada and also for introducing tougher penalties for trafficking and smuggling offences, in addition to continuing to make important investments in the Canada Border Services Agency and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to strengthen border controls and reduce the number of guns being smuggled across the borders. These initiatives will build on work that is already underway.The Minister of Public Safety has also publicly committed to additional reforms requiring amendments to the Criminal Code, including increased penalties for straw purchasing (a form of firearms trafficking); and, permitting an individual to apply to a court for an emergency weapons prohibition order to apply to another individual, otherwise known as “red flag laws.”The Government has made available funding of up to $327.6 million over five years through the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence to combat gun-related violence and gang activities, including by supporting law enforcement and community-led projects focused on prevention.More than $200 million is now flowing directly to the provinces and territories to target initiatives that best meet the unique needs of individual communities to advance efforts in areas of prevention, gang exit, outreach and awareness training as well as enhanced intelligence sharing and law enforcement capacity. With the funding allocations, jurisdictions have made investments to support new law enforcement activities including specialized training and education initiatives and improving data collection and information sharing. Provinces and territories have also prioritized a number of prevention intervention initiatives. Building on these achievements, the Government has committed to invest additional funding to help municipalities meet the needs of communities at risk to fight gang-related violence and expand diversion programs to keep youth out of the criminal justice system.
FirearmsParliamentary democracy
43rd Parliament223Government response tabledJuly 20, 2020e-2341e-2341 (Democratic process)BradleyManysiakGlenMotzMedicine Hat—Cardston—WarnerConservativeABDecember 17, 2019, at 1:17 p.m. (EDT)February 15, 2020, at 1:17 p.m. (EDT)May 6, 2020July 20, 2020February 17, 2020Petition to the <Addressee type="3" affiliationId="" mp-riding-display="1">Government of Canada</Addressee>Whereas:The Government of Canada has expressed its intention to ban, what it refers to as “military-style assault rifles”, through an Order in Council; Public Safety Canada’s information notes this is not a legal definition in Canada; The use of an Order in Council is an egregious overreach of executive authorities, bypassing the democratic process of the House and the elected representatives of Canadians; This executive order would strip law-abiding Canadians it has approved through the RCMP Canada Firearms Program, of their legally purchased property; The use of an Order in Council ignores the Government’s survey on firearms where “the majority of respondents did not support further limiting access to firearms & assault-style firearms”; The proposed buyback of legal, licenced firearms could cost the Canadian taxpayer over $250,000,000 which could be better spent on initiatives that have an appreciable positive impact on public safety such as: deter youth from gangs, addiction treatment, mental health, strengthened border security, and increase police anti-gang capacities; An Order in Council ban on “military-style assault rifles” would fail to take firearms away from criminals; and A ban would unfairly target Canadian firearms owners who are already among the most vetted in Canadian society. Possession and Acquisition License (PAL) and Restricted PAL (RPAL) holders are subject to daily screening and are statistically proven to be less likely to commit crimes than non-PAL & non-RPAL holders.We, the undersigned, citizens of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to put any new firearms laws, bans, buyback programs or changes to licencing before the House of Commons to be debated.
Response by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada Signed by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): The Honourable David LamettiThe Government of Canada recognizes that gun violence is an increasingly important problem in Canadian society, and that it needs to be addressed. The Government made amendments to the Regulations Prescribing Certain Firearms and Other Weapons, Components and Parts of Weapons, Accessories, Cartridge Magazines, Ammunition and Projectiles as Prohibited, Restricted or Non-Restricted (the Regulations) to classify certain assault-style firearms as prohibited to reduce gun violence, the threat they pose to public safety, as well as their prevalence on the market. In addition, an accompanying decree fixing a period of amnesty of two years to protect law-abiding gun owners from criminal prosecution until they can come into compliance with the law was also made. The Government has also announced its intention to introduce a buy-back program and grandfathering regime.The Governor-in-Council has had the authority to prescribe firearms as prohibited or restricted by regulation for decades. This authority, in section 117.15 of the Criminal Code of Canada, was used to amend the Regulations that were made on May 1, 2020 and published in the Canada Gazette Part II.The Government continues to examine ways to strengthen gun control and address the criminal use of firearms in Canada.
Response by the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency PreparednessSigned by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): Joël Lightbound, M.PCanadians deserve to live in a society where they can feel safe and secure from gun violence. These weapons have no legitimate civilian use, as they are designed to take as many lives as possible, as efficiently as possible. As of May 1st, the market for these dangerous weapons, which have been used to kill innocent Canadians, is closed.Through Section 117.15 of the Criminal Code, Parliament provides the Government with the authority to prescribe the classification of firearms. We have exercised that authority to benefit the safety and security of Canadians, within limits set by Parliament. The affected firearms are prohibited as they (1) have semi-automatic action with sustain rapid-fire capability (tactical/military design with large magazine capacity), (2) are of modern design, and (3) are present in large volumes in the Canadian market.This authority has existed for decades and has been exercised several times over the years. The use of regulations to reclassify firearms was also adopted by the previous Conservative government.We made a promise to Canadians and we have delivered. We have been clear that our prohibition will not impact the activities of law-abiding hunters or sport shooters. We have also signalled our intent to implement a buyback program that will provide fair compensation to affected owners. We are looking at a range of options, and will work with Parliament as well as the provinces and territories to get this right for law-abiding gun owners and businesses.While the prohibition is a crucial first step, it is only one of a series of measures that we will to take to target firearm-related crime in this country.  At the first opportunity we will introduce legislation that will strengthen gun control.  We intend to introduce a red-flag regime in order to better protect public safety, strengthen firearms storage requirements to deter theft, enhance police tracing capacity, and work with our partners from other levels of government to give municipalities the ability to further restrict handguns. We are also committed to combatting gun-related violence and gang activities and to strengthening border security, and increasing police anti-gang capacities. This will build on work that is already underway.We announced funding of up to $327.6 million over five years through the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence (the Initiative) to combat gun-related violence and gang activities, including by supporting law enforcement and community-led projects focused on prevention.More than $200 million is now flowing directly to the provinces and territories to target initiatives that best meet the unique needs of individual communities to advance efforts in areas of prevention, gang exit, outreach and awareness training as well as enhanced intelligence sharing and law enforcement capacity. With the funding allocations, jurisdictions have made investments to support new law enforcement activities including specialized training and education initiatives and improving data collection and information sharing.  PTs have also prioritized a number of prevention intervention initiatives. Building on these achievements, our Government has committed to investing additional funding to help municipalities meet the needs of communities at risk to fight gang-related violence and expand diversion programs to keep youth out of the criminal justice system.The Government knows that the cross-border smuggling of firearms also poses a threat to the safety and security of Canadians. We are committed to taking action to prevent smuggled guns from entering Canada. We will introduce tougher penalties for trafficking and smuggling offences and will continue to make important investments in the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) to strengthen border controls and reduce the number of guns being smuggled across the our borders.   These initiatives will build on work that is already underway.Following hundreds of millions of dollars in cuts by the previous Conservative government, we are reinvesting in our agencies. Specifically the CBSA is receiving $51.5 million over five years through the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence to enhance its capacity to stem the flow of inadmissible travellers and illegal firearms entering Canada at vulnerable points of entry and through postal facilities. It is also procuring equipment to enhance air cargo security and pallet imaging, intelligence collection and production abilities, and improving border operations through measures aimed at enhancing the CBSA’s capacity to detect and interdict illegal firearms at the border. The CBSA continues to work with key domestic and US law enforcement partners to generate leads, as well as support and assist with interdiction efforts.In addition, the RCMP is receiving $34.5 million through the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence to enhance its capacity to conduct investigations related to the criminal use of firearms as well as to provide law enforcement with enhanced access to training, technology and data to keep illicit firearms out of Canada and detect and report on criminal gang activities.  The RCMP has created the Integrated Criminal Firearms Initiative to expand and enhance existing services available to support firearms investigations nationwide. This includes providing anonymous online capabilities to investigate firearms trafficking and smuggling, conducting physical firearms inspections, enhancing analytical capacity to develop and produce actionable intelligence, and supporting stakeholder outreach among partners to advance focused initiatives.  The RCMP is also prioritizing strategic intelligence analysis related to street gangs and the procurement of advanced technologies to expedite and further support the analysis of ballistics and illicit manufacturing of firearms. Going forward, we will work with our partners from other levels of government to give municipalities the ability to further restrict handguns in a manner that respects the authorities of all jurisdictions. We will continue working to enhance public safety by focusing on prevention, effective law enforcement and strong community partnerships.
FirearmsParliamentary democracy