QUESTION PERIOD — Public Safety
Firearms Control
February 11, 2021
My question is for the Leader of the Government in the Senate. According to leaked information, the government is going to introduce its long-awaited bill to buy back a whole range of assault-style weapons. However, contrary to what the government promised, the buyback will not be mandatory.
How does the government intend to protect Canadians against gun violence if people still have particularly deadly prohibited weapons in their homes during the pandemic, which further increases the risk of violence?
Thank you for your question. This raises an issue that is extremely important in Montreal, where we recently experienced a tragedy, specifically the death of Meriem Boundaoui. We extend our deepest condolences to her family and friends at this difficult time.
Every life lost to gun violence is one life too many. Incidents such as this and so many others strengthen this government’s commitment to continue working to protect our families from such tragedies and unimaginable circumstances.
Every municipality, every province has its challenges. I was informed that the government committed to keep its promises of working with the provinces and municipalities to give them the authority to adopt additional measures to either limit or completely prohibit the use and storage of these firearms in their jurisdictions.
The government’s plan will also include additional resources to ensure that there are harsher penalties and sanctions and to give our border agencies and police additional powers to prevent the trafficking of firearms from other countries in Canada.
I have a supplementary question. Yesterday, Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante reacted to the absolutely tragic death of Meriem Boundaoui by once again calling on Prime Minister Trudeau to introduce federal legislation restricting access to handguns. As you know, other major cities, such as Toronto and Vancouver, are on the same page.
Why off-load this tough issue onto cities at a time when armed violence is on the rise in metropolitan areas? Why is the government choosing not to introduce handgun legislation?
Firearms legislation is important, but it is also complex, as we saw here during debates on Bill C-71. The government is working with the provinces and municipalities on a bill to put forward an appropriate solution that reflects varying circumstances among and even within big cities and takes into account the fact that our cities vary greatly in size and that opinions clearly differ across the country. The government remains committed to better protecting Canadians from the dangers of firearms and is working hard on this issue.
