QUESTION PERIOD — Public Safety
Firearms Control
June 4, 2025
My question is for the Leader of the Government in the Senate.
During consideration of Bill C-5, Chief Inspector David Bertrand of the Montreal police force, or SPVM, stated the following in committee:
. . . there’s an increased presence of firearms among young people.
. . . eliminating mandatory minimum sentences would have an impact on the public’s perception of the seriousness of these crimes and, at the same time, lead to a trivialization and even a sense of impunity . . . .
Honourable senators, two years later, in Laval alone, 40% of cases of armed violence now involve minors, teenagers between the ages of 14 and 17, who are recruited by armed gangs. Will you finally recognize that the soft-on-crime policy, particularly Bill C-5, has failed to protect Canadians and repeal those provisions?
Thank you for the question. It is clear that the issue of guns and violence in our communities is a major and legitimate concern in this country. The government is of the opinion that the time has come to increase the number of officers at our borders. A significant increase in the number of RCMP officers is an important response to this issue.
At the same time, the government announced in its election platform other measures to ensure that the Criminal Code can be amended to better protect Canadians.
Honourable senators, Statistics Canada has reported that violent gun crime was 22% higher in 2023 than it was in 2018, and 55% higher than in 2013. Senator Gold, how can Canadians trust the Liberal government to fight gun violence when it axed mandatory minimum sentences for gang-related offences, like the use of firearms to commit crimes, possession of a weapon obtained by a crime, discharging a firearm with criminal intent or armed robbery?
Thank you for the question. Colleagues, the difference between the position of this government and the position of the official opposition in the other place has been clearly apparent for quite some time.
The government will continue to focus on taking meaningful action on the ground to protect Canadians and prevent the importation of firearms from the United States to Canada. That’s a big problem at our borders and we’ll be able to allocate more resources to it. We’ll continue to take a pragmatic approach so that we can better protect our communities.
