Thank you, Chair. It's not good policy to comment on the rain status here.
Welcome to all the witnesses. I'm very glad to see you all and I thank you for coming back and sharing your time.
Mr. Minister, I'll go back to the ever-popular buyback program. In 2019 when our government announced the ban on assault-style weapons, the Ontario chiefs of police issued a statement supporting the move saying that in their view, these weapons had no place in our communities. When the president of the Coalition for Gun Control testified before our committee, she made a point that stuck with me. She said, “I want to remind you that every illegal gun begins as a legal gun, either south of the border or in Canada.”
Minister, I know you've come at this question from many different angles today, but can you speak to the importance of moving forward on our proposed buyback to ensure that we reduce the number of guns that may be illegally diverted into the criminal market?