Thank you, Chair.
Hello, colleagues.
I'd like to say a special thank you to the witnesses for some important testimony today.
Before I begin, I just want to say that my heart and the hearts of all the people in my riding of Cape Breton—Canso go out to the victims of the shooting in London, Ontario, and their families. It is an immense tragedy.
Dr. Wemmers, the night of April 18 into the morning of April 19, my province, Nova Scotia, fell victim to a horrific tragedy that is known as the worst mass shooting in Canada's history. The gunman entered 16 small rural communities across my province, killing 22 people and injuring three others, including members of the RCMP. It's an exceptionally sad, sad chapter in Nova Scotian and Canadian history. Just 10 days after this tragedy, our government announced an immediate ban on some 1,500 makes and models of military-grade, assault-style weapons.
I think we all know that victims who survive such violence are often left with emotional and physical trauma.
Doctor, what does this ban mean for these sorts of victims of gun violence, or victims of other forms of crime, like domestic violence? You spoke to this at some detail in your opening statement, but this is a chance for you to unpack some of those points that you made. Do you think our government could be doing more to support victims of gun violence or their families, moving forward?