Evidence of meeting #132 for Public Safety and National Security in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was property.
A video is available from Parliament.
5:35 p.m.
Yellowhead, CPC
What type of method did they use that you found to be the most common?
5:35 p.m.
Co-Chair, Public Affairs Committee, Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians
It's very clear that hanging and ligature is the most common, at about 50% of the time. Guns are used in about 25% of suicides.
5:35 p.m.
Yellowhead, CPC
Mr. Larsen, you heard the evidence by Mr. Friedman about the changing of the Criminal Code. As a former police officer and in the role you are in now, do you see a need for us to revamp that?
5:35 p.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Policing and Community Safety Services, Ministry of Corrections and Policing, Government of Saskatchewan
You're going to have to refresh my memory on the section in relation to—
5:35 p.m.
Yellowhead, CPC
It's the use of defence and stuff like that for property or personal. Do you think we need to clarify it and upgrade it from its current status under the Criminal Code?
5:35 p.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Policing and Community Safety Services, Ministry of Corrections and Policing, Government of Saskatchewan
I'm not sure if it needs to be upgraded or changed in the Criminal Code so much, but I would agree that there does seem to be a need for some clarification to help the police officer on the street make the proper decision and understand the prosecution's side of it, whether that's a change to the code for reference or better training and communication with police and prosecutions.
5:35 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal John McKay
Thank you, Mr. Eglinski.
Madam Damoff, you have the final five minutes.
5:35 p.m.
Liberal
Pam Damoff Liberal Oakville North—Burlington, ON
Thank you, Chair. I didn't realize that.
Dr. Drummond, thank you for coming.
I think you were wondering why you were here. You provided us really valuable information as we were looking at Bill C-71, because so often there's a misperception about how firearms are used. Because so much of what we've heard in this study has been around arming people to protect their property, it seemed like it would be valuable to get input from you in relation to intimate partner violence and suicide on what happens when there is a firearm in the home. I wonder if you can speak to that a bit.
5:35 p.m.
Co-Chair, Public Affairs Committee, Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians
That evidence is very clear. It is well established, dating back for decades. Even though the Americans have issues with response to the CDC being unallowed to fund gun research, the gun research continues to go on. It's been very, very clear that keeping a gun in the home is associated with a fivefold increase in suicide. With respect to intimate partner violence, again, there's about a fivefold increase in risk of death by the mere presence of a firearm in the home. I would imagine that the Canadian Paediatric Society might be involved at some point. They also have released a policy statement—earlier this year, perhaps, or late last year—that a gun in the home is associated with a high risk of pediatric accidental injury.
The mere presence of a gun, regardless of the type of gun, is associated with higher death rates—for suicide, intimate partner violence, probably homicide, and certainly childhood accidents.
5:35 p.m.
Liberal
Pam Damoff Liberal Oakville North—Burlington, ON
Have you seen any increase in the number of injuries coming into the emergency room from firearms over the last few years, or is it consistent?
5:35 p.m.
Co-Chair, Public Affairs Committee, Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians
The Canadian Paediatric Society highlighted that there was at least one injury per day for Ontario youth by firearm—I think they used that term “firearm” very loosely—in the year that they studied. In terms of responsible gun ownership, I believe the great majority of rural Canadians practise responsible gun ownership. They take safety courses. They take hunting safety courses. We don't actually see very often an accidental injury in our emergency department. Speaking as a coroner, what I tend to see is someone who has blown their head off with a shotgun. That's what I see more often than anything else.
5:35 p.m.
Liberal
Pam Damoff Liberal Oakville North—Burlington, ON
One thing that's come up previously is the comment that if they don't have a firearm, they'll just use something else. Is that a reality?
5:35 p.m.
Co-Chair, Public Affairs Committee, Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians
No, it is not. That's one of those great myths of the Canadian firearm debate, that if they don't have a gun, they'll find another way. We hear that time and time again. The truth is that it's simply not true. Of those who have survived a suicide attempt, only 10% of those remaining survivors will actually complete suicide.
Suicide is an impulsive act. Yes, there are some people who plan it meticulously and have plan A and plan B and plan C, but for the great majority of people who commit suicide or attempt suicide, it's an impulsive act during a time of feeling overwhelmed. If you can get them through their depressive episode, their suicidal episode, their psychotic episode, then chances are very, very good that they will not go on to suicide.
That's a myth that needs to be debunked.
5:40 p.m.
Liberal
5:40 p.m.
Liberal
5:40 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal John McKay
Okay. Thank you.
On behalf of the committee, I want to thank the witnesses.
Before I dismiss the committee, colleagues would be interested in knowing that yesterday I was in Regina at RCMP Depot to witness my nephew, along with his colleagues in his troop, being sworn into the RCMP. I was privileged to present him his badge.
5:40 p.m.
A voice
Very cool.
5:40 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal John McKay
It was—yes, exactly—very cool. It put flesh on the bones of much of what we've been talking about for the last few days. I'd encourage colleagues, if they have any opportunity to witness that ceremony, to take advantage of it. The RCMP serves our nation well. They had a map of Canada showing where every one of the graduates, every one of the constables, was going. It was overwhelmingly rural, and overwhelmingly to places I'd never heard of.
With that, again, I want to thank you for the help you've been to the committee.
The meeting is adjourned.