Thank you for your question, Ms. Michaud.
I completely share the concerns that you just described. Along with my colleague, Jean‑Yves Duclos, and others, I've been fortunate enough to meet with Nathalie Provost and Heidi Rathjen from PolySeSouvient on a number of occasions. I'm keenly aware of the sombre occasion that will be marked this Friday.
You're also right to say that we're committed to banning these weapons. The original order in council put in place by Mr. Blair banned over 1,500 types of weapons. I don't want to correct you. I just want to make sure that people understand what the first phase of the firearms buyback program entails. It involves collecting these prohibited military‑style assault rifles from gun stores, such as Cabela's, that have them in stock. This process has already started. The RCMP has run pilot projects and tests. The government has already collected some of these rifles from retailers that had them in stock. The rifles have been destroyed. I've seen the photo of the first rifle destroyed after the first phase.
However, you're right. During the second phase, we'll be collecting these rifles from individuals. The Quebec provincial police will provide a great deal of support. We'll also be compensating these people, since we acknowledge that we're outlawing items that used to be legal. At that point, to avoid any loopholes, the next order in council rounding out the list of prohibited rifles will need to have been announced. When people receive a cheque, they won't have the option of returning to Cabela's to buy the modern version of the rifle that we just outlawed. We'll close that loophole before people receive the money.
Over the coming days, I'll have some comments to make about the next steps. We talked about a committee of experts or technical advisers who will work with the RCMP. This other process is already under way. This committee is in place and has already held meetings. I believe that it met last week.
I'm aware of the time frames that you referred to. I'm sure that we'll stick to them. I'll be providing more details in the coming days. I'm happy to keep you informed, since you have been supportive of our joint efforts. You, Mr. MacGregor and his predecessor, Mr. Julian, have played a key role.