Evidence of meeting #12 for Public Safety and National Security in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was firearm.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Robert Dutil  Minister of Public Security, Government of Quebec
Mario Harel  Vice-President, Chief of Police, Gatineau Police Service, Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police
Matthew Torigian  Chief of Police, Waterloo Regional Police Service, Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police
Hélène Larente  Volunteer, Coordinator, Women's Hunting Program, Fédération québécoise des chasseurs et pêcheurs
Diana Cabrera  Administration Manager, Canadian Shooting Sports Association
Tony Bernardo  Executive Director, Canadian Shooting Sports Association
Wendy Cukier  President, Coalition for Gun Control
Barbara Kane  Psychiatrist, Coalition for Gun Control
Audrey Deveault  Chairperson, Dawson Student Union
Mathieu Murphy-Perron  Executive Director, Dawson Student Union
Randall Kuntz  As an Individual
Donald Weltz  As an Individual

11:35 a.m.

Conservative

Candice Bergen Conservative Portage—Lisgar, MB

Why not? What's the penalty, Mr. Bernardo?

11:35 a.m.

Executive Director, Canadian Shooting Sports Association

Tony Bernardo

Four years in jail.

11:35 a.m.

Conservative

Candice Bergen Conservative Portage—Lisgar, MB

Does that include a store owner, an individual or...? I mean, we were told by three officials today...we were told by the minister from Quebec and we were told by a representative from the chiefs of police that store owners can now just sell guns to anyone and there will be no record; they can sell a gun to anyone.

11:35 a.m.

Executive Director, Canadian Shooting Sports Association

Tony Bernardo

No, that's absolutely false, because of course the store owner has to enter the firearm into his inventory.

For example, let's say you had to trace a Remington firearm. You call Remington. It says it shipped that firearm to the distributor on a certain date. The distributor has to have records. The distributor says it was sold to a dealer on another date. Now you know the firearm's there, and at that point in time you say, “Okay, Mr. Dealer, where did it go?” He has to have where it went in his inventory control. Dealers cannot be selling to somebody who doesn't have a licence because that's just going to bring the whole world down on their heads.

11:35 a.m.

Conservative

Candice Bergen Conservative Portage—Lisgar, MB

I guess unless they want to go to jail.

11:35 a.m.

Executive Director, Canadian Shooting Sports Association

Tony Bernardo

Oh yes, absolutely.

11:35 a.m.

Conservative

Candice Bergen Conservative Portage—Lisgar, MB

Because that's a criminal offence.

11:35 a.m.

Executive Director, Canadian Shooting Sports Association

Tony Bernardo

It's a very serious criminal offence.

11:35 a.m.

Conservative

Candice Bergen Conservative Portage—Lisgar, MB

I mean, we do know that the majority of crimes are committed with guns that are being sold illegally—

11:35 a.m.

Executive Director, Canadian Shooting Sports Association

11:35 a.m.

Conservative

Candice Bergen Conservative Portage—Lisgar, MB

--and they're not being sold by people who are following the rules.

11:35 a.m.

Executive Director, Canadian Shooting Sports Association

11:35 a.m.

Conservative

Candice Bergen Conservative Portage—Lisgar, MB

Thank you very much, Mr. Bernardo.

11:35 a.m.

Executive Director, Canadian Shooting Sports Association

Tony Bernardo

You're welcome.

11:35 a.m.

Conservative

Candice Bergen Conservative Portage—Lisgar, MB

Do I have a few minutes left?

11:35 a.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson

You have two minutes left.

11:35 a.m.

Conservative

Candice Bergen Conservative Portage—Lisgar, MB

I want to go to Madam Larente.

Thank you so much for being here.

We've heard that people in Quebec want to keep the long-gun registry. That has been the overwhelming message we've heard, especially out of Montreal. I'm wondering if you can talk a little bit about the rest of Quebec, the regions of Quebec, where people are hunting and using firearms for law-abiding purposes. How do you think they feel about their interests as Quebeckers not necessarily being represented in this discussion?

11:35 a.m.

Volunteer, Coordinator, Women's Hunting Program, Fédération québécoise des chasseurs et pêcheurs

Hélène Larente

I did not understand all of the question.

Did you understand the rest of the question?

11:35 a.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson

Do you have...?

She does not have the translation.

11:35 a.m.

Conservative

Candice Bergen Conservative Portage—Lisgar, MB

Oh. Can I repeat that question, then?

11:35 a.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson

You can repeat the question. We'll--

11:35 a.m.

Volunteer, Coordinator, Women's Hunting Program, Fédération québécoise des chasseurs et pêcheurs

11:35 a.m.

Conservative

Candice Bergen Conservative Portage—Lisgar, MB

No, that's all right. You get your translation and then I'll repeat the question.

11:35 a.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson

Actually, our time is limited so I'm not able to give you too much extra time. I want everyone to have a chance to get in a question.

11:40 a.m.

Conservative

Candice Bergen Conservative Portage—Lisgar, MB

But, Mr. Chair, I do--