Public Safety committee  We are obviously not experts on parliamentary procedure, so I can't express an opinion on what is in order or out of order. Nonetheless, one thing is certain. We believe that the government must consult the two opposition parties that support it, the Bloc Québécois and the New Democratic Party, and work with them.

Public Safety committee  You asked about providing a definition. I don't want to go into detail, but essentially, we're talking about firearms that can fire in rapid bursts, semi-automatic firearms. However, I would like to correct a false impression that some people have, including the witness beside us.

Public Safety committee  Our understanding of it is that on the day the amendments were withdrawn, the government, or at least Mr. Trudeau and the minister, were committed to trying again. The manner in which it was done was problematic, which doesn't bother us, because they still wanted to work with the other two parties that had also, in the three previous elections, promised to support or adopt a ban on assault weapons.

Public Safety committee  For sure the indigenous question needs to be addressed. We've been favourable to exemptions or special considerations for aboriginal people in the past, even under the Firearms Act that was adopted in the 1990s. We did not oppose the exemptions for indigenous subsistence hunters to keep using the firearms prohibited under the May 2020 OICs, and we've communicated in different ways to the government and to opposition parties that we wouldn't oppose the same type of exemption for these 482 new models of assault weapons, as long as it's a well-conscribed process, as long as these weapons are grandfathered and it's not a blanket exemption where they can keep buying new assault weapons, but it's to keep those they have.

Public Safety committee  At the same time, it should be noted that there is a distinction between the right to hunt and the right to hunt with an assault weapon, yet in that spirit, we were not opposed to the exemption for indigenous subsistence hunters that is part of the 2020 orders in council. We would accept similar exemptions in the case of a comprehensive and permanent ban on assault weapons.

Public Safety committee  Good afternoon. Our hope today is that these special consultations will, first and foremost, seek to clarify the true impacts of amendments G-4 and G-46, since any new amendments should be based on real and legitimate concerns. While we are open to the possibility that the proposed amendments may have included legitimate hunting rifles, we have not seen any evidence of this as of yet.

Public Safety committee  After 33 years of experience, we know legislation needs to be rock-solid, and that any grey zone or discretion can be exploited, and often is, depending on the values of the government in place, whether it's federal or provincial. It's like we see now in some of the western provinces.

Public Safety committee  That is actually what we are recommending. Ideally, we would like to see such a ban in the legislation. It would be legitimate and it would be more efficient, because it would be harder to make any changes afterwards. The government has stated that it would like to take the regulatory route.

Public Safety committee  First of all, not only are the majority of Canadians in favour of a ban on the type of weapons used in these sports, but the majority of firearm owners are in favour of banning assault-style guns. What's more, a number of surveys show that between half and two thirds of gun owners are also in favour of a ban on handguns.

Public Safety committee  It's not part of the bill, but we've said many times that there needs to be more training and more resources for better screening and for better preventative intervention, including training for judges, police officers and firearms officers.

Public Safety committee  You're right that having a list of prohibited weapons is what happened. In fact, that's the approach that was taken in the 1990s, and the lists were never updated. Having just lists means that you depend on future governments to update the list, which was not done under either government.

Public Safety committee  It makes sense that, if somebody is prohibited from owning firearms for public safety reasons, they shouldn't have access to firearms, and if they live with somebody who has firearms, that's a problem. That was inserted in the ex parte red flag measure, and that was one element we felt was helpful.

Public Safety committee  Stuff is happening right now. For example, a group such as the International Practical Shooting Confederation has been lobbying for decades to have its sport recognized by the Olympics. It is making progress and gaining recognition. This is a big international lobby that faces no opposition, because groups like ours do not have a seat at the table.

Public Safety committee  I don't think I'm in a position to comment on specific cases. All I can say is that on balance we feel that the existence of such a measure will undermine the reforms that need to take place in those kinds of cases where police don't take complaints seriously enough. That should be the focus of improving the system, because that is the most effective system in terms of protecting victims and potential victims, especially of domestic abuse.

Public Safety committee  We would support the position of the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians. In Quebec, we have the Anastasia law, which allows such a thing, so I'm not sure about jurisdictional issues, but certainly doctors, especially emergency doctors who confront these at-risk individuals, should be able to report them and trigger action in a timely manner.