Public Safety Committee on Nov. 27th, 2018

[John Ossowski, President, Canada Border Services Agency]

No, it was 21.

[Bill Blair]

They seized 21 firearms that were secreted in a gas tank coming across the border. That's an important source of guns coming into Canada for criminal purposes.

The other source of guns that was identified was illegal diversion from the domestic market. That can happen at a number of different points.

It can happen at point of sale. For example, there were investigations that I was involved in with regard to an individual who went out and bought 77 handguns. He purchased them, having the appropriate licences and authorities required to acquire those guns, but he almost immediately ground the serial numbers off and sold them at a significant profit into the criminal realm. Very quickly, they were used in criminal acts. We recovered them at violent criminal offences and traced them back to him. He went to jail for about eight years. That's one of the ways.

We've also seen a number of instances of firearms being stolen, either from break and enters or from cars. There was a case just in the past week in southeast Saskatchewan in which someone broke into a home and stole 77 restricted and prohibited firearms, 73 of which were handguns. All of those guns are now in the hands of criminals and are available.

Quite frankly, there's no one simple thing to be done. Everything needs to be done. We need to ensure that we invest significantly in the investigative bodies, in access to the technologies and new tools and new methodologies, and in the techniques that CBSA has been investing in. I've been monitoring it very carefully. John is here with me and can tell you, perhaps, about some of the things that they're doing. They're significantly enhancing their capacity to detect.

I think what is equally important is that they're working very collaboratively with law enforcement through the integrated border enforcement teams and other types of joint-force initiatives. As we saw recently in Toronto, those are really effective in identifying some of those individuals. We are looking at a number of different measures to make it more difficult for guns to get into the hands of criminals by any method, whether smuggled across the border or illegally diverted from the domestic market.

I also want to say—because I think it's something that Ms. Howard has often raised with me as well—that we have a lot of work to do to make sure that we reduce the demand for guns within that community of young men, who so often use them to commit violent acts. It's just not a matter of interdicting the supply.

[Julie Dabrusin, Liberal, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

Actually, you're leading to where I was going to go with my next question, because that's also part of the petition she put forward.

I was reading a quote of what the person who was found guilty for the shooting had said. In his statement, he said, “If I hadn't been involved in guns or if I hadn't had a gun on me, this would never have happened. I thought before that having a gun made me safe. Now I realize no one is safe when so many have a gun.” That's a quote from the person who shot her son.

Joan Howard has also focused very much on how we make sure that youth don't turn to guns and to violence as their options.

I only have a minute left, but could you let me know a bit more about what we're doing to make sure that youth do not make those choices?

[Bill Blair]

As I said in my opening remarks, about $327.6 million in new funding, over $200 million over a five-year period, is available through the provinces and territories to work with community organizations and community groups. I think those types of investments are important, and they are specifically focused on people who might perhaps be at risk of getting involved in violent criminal activity.

There are other investments as well.

If we look at the social determinants of violence in our communities, it's often lack of access to opportunity and jobs, poor housing, and lack of access to mental health services, so it's a whole-of-government response. If we're going to deal with it effectively—and that is our intention—we have to look at all of those things. We have to make significant investments in community and in young people and support those organizations that are doing exceptional work, as well as law enforcement, which has the important job of upholding our laws and keeping our people safe.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Pierre Paul-Hus]

Thank you, Minister.

Mr. Motz, you have the floor for seven minutes.

[Glen Motz, Conservative, Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner, AB]

Thank you, Chair.

Thank you, Minister, for being here.

Minister, I'm curious. In the last five months or so since you've been appointed, can you point to anything that you or your ministry have achieved? People are still crossing the border illegally into this country. CBSA is asked to do more, and they have no funding to do it. Rural crime is continuing to increase. Gangs and gang gun crime and violence are still a problem, with no apparent solutions.

I'm curious, and people in my constituency are curious, and Canadians are asking me, so I'm going to ask you: How have you made life better for Canadians and safer for Canadians?

[Bill Blair]

Thank you very much for the question, Glen.

Frankly, I would talk about the agencies and departments, from whom I'm receiving exceptional support in some of the work that they're doing.

You asked what kind of a difference we've made on the issue of irregular migration. We've seen a significant improvement in that situation. Immediately upon my appointment, I had the opportunity to go to Lacolle at the end of Roxham Road. I saw the exceptional work that was being done by the CBSA, RCMP, and IRCC in managing that situation, in upholding Canadian laws and ensuring the safety and security of our country and making sure that there was no threat of criminality or national security threat.

We have also seen some outstanding work in reaching out through communications to the communities to make sure that people clearly understand that coming into this country in an irregular way, seeking migration, is no free ticket to permanent residency.

Those communications that we've been engaged in have worked really effectively. I won't take credit for that, but we have seen a significant reduction in the last couple of months.

[Glen Motz, Conservative, Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner, AB]

Minister Blair, you said that your work on the border has had enormous impacts—

[Bill Blair]

Mr. Motz, I was not taking credit for myself, but I was giving credit to those who are doing the work.

[Glen Motz, Conservative, Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner, AB]

Yes, it's your organization and the people in your ministries.

In the last five months, how many people have crossed illegally into Canada?

[Bill Blair]

About 70% fewer than came across in the same five-month period—

[Glen Motz, Conservative, Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner, AB]

How many?

[Bill Blair]

Approximately 8,000.

[Glen Motz, Conservative, Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner, AB]

It was approximately 8,000.

[Bill Blair]

Compared to about 18,000 in the—

[Glen Motz, Conservative, Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner, AB]

Do you have a plan to improve border security?

[Bill Blair]

Actually, Mr. Motz, there is all sorts of work being done. There are plans being formulated and initiatives being brought forward and investments being made. We are determining what capacity is required.

We're working very closely, as well.... There are others in this relationship. It's a shared responsibility on how this is managed. We're working with provinces and territories, with municipalities. There have been some very effective steps taken by our officials who are working to manage this, and we are seeing significant improvements.

We've also gone to the United States, because there's a bilateral relationship and an agreement that exists between us. That's part of an ongoing dialogue at my level and at the senior official with our counterparts in the United States.

I'd like to assure you that we've all been working very diligently to ensure that we encourage people to use—

[Glen Motz, Conservative, Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner, AB]

I'll take your word for that. Not everybody in Canada thinks that's happening, but I'll take your word for it.

[Bill Blair]

Thank you, Mr. Motz.

[Glen Motz, Conservative, Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner, AB]

You said in your opening remarks that you have been working diligently on the consultation process for the handgun ban, for lack of a better way to describe it. Where in the estimates do I find the costings for this consultation process on the handgun ban?

[Malcolm Brown]

You won't find them in the estimates because we're funding them out of existing resources within the department.

[Glen Motz, Conservative, Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner, AB]

Minister, you have said that they're important and that you've travelled across the country, yet I've spoken to a number of individuals who have been at your invitation-only handgun ban consultations, and you weren't there. If they're so important, I'm wondering why you weren't at those meetings that you are supposed to be leading.

[Bill Blair]

We have been conducting consultations. There are many groups and areas to be consulted, so either I or my parliamentary secretary have been in attendance at each one of these consultations. The only exception was a particular event I was attending in Moncton. I had to leave early, unfortunately, but we left senior officials in place. There were a number of reasons I had to leave.

[Glen Motz, Conservative, Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner, AB]

As part of this consultation process, you have an online survey. How many online surveys have been completed for this consultation process? Do you know offhand?

[Bill Blair]

I've been advised that approximately 130,000 submissions were made by Canadians in response to the—