Thank you very much, Mr. Chair, and thank you very much, colleagues, for your indulgence.
I know that certainly the members of the USW appreciate your understanding as well, Madam Laverdière. This certainly did catch us by surprise, and that's why I apologize for being a bit tardy.
As you will recall, colleagues, this single and fairly simple amendment was the result of considerable testimony provided by the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters, as well as the Canadian Shooting Sports Association. You'll recall the debate at the time. Also, I appreciate that we have witnesses from the department here, because our professional civil service, which we've been talking about a lot in the House of Commons lately in terms of what high regard we have for our professionals, was a part of the United Nations discussions on the Arms Trade Treaty for many years.
We can recall that a previous government had some concern that the preamble would not provide sufficient protection for cultural aboriginal sports shooting and hunting uses of legal firearms. We tried to present a fairly simplistic way to provide that degree of clarity within the legislation itself. People may recall that on the day we had those witnesses testifying on Bill C-47, I quoted Professor Kent Roach from the University of Toronto law school on his position with respect to preambles that do not provide legal certainty when you can provide such legal certainty within the pith of the legislation. That's the intention here, friends and colleagues.
The intention comes from direct consultations, particularly with the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters, which I know the minister's office has been in touch with in respect of this bill. I will say—and then I'll end and hear debate from my colleagues—that these are very specific exemptions that give the certainty that a wide cross-section of Canadians would like to see, because they agree with the spirit of this legislation. As you'll recall, we did not march in hundreds of witnesses. We tried to make sure that this was done in a respectful way to provide a degree of certainty that people in rural Canada—first nations, sport shooters, and those sorts of people—can have by a direct provision in the act.
This gives them that clarity. It's been reviewed by the witnesses who appeared that day. It does not interfere with the intention and certainly the considerable commentary on what the intention of this legislation is with respect to conflict zones and violence around the world.
I would ask you to consider this to give that large cross-section of Canadians the degree of certainty that I think both sides—as I remember from our witnesses being here—wanted to see. There was a sense early on that the government might propose this themselves. We would have enjoyed seeing that. Since they have not, I think that in the spirit of co-operation that my friend Borys so eloquently expressed earlier, this modest clause could be accepted by all who are here today.