Thank you, Mr. Chair.
From my personal experience serving as a police officer for many years, I have witnessed first-hand the harms that assault weapons can do to our communities. The government has taken bold action to get these dangerous weapons off the streets. However, we have heard that new makes and models of firearms are continuously created to circumvent the current definition of a prohibited firearm.
During the witness testimony, this committee heard from a number of witnesses about the importance of this amendment, including the Canadian Doctors for Protection from Guns, the Coalition for Gun Control and PolySeSouvient.
Dr. Najma Ahmed, from the Canadian Doctors for Protection from Guns, discussed the ongoing use of an assault weapon in violent crime, saying that we must take a more comprehensive approach. She was quoted as saying:
A similar type of gun, the SKS rifle, which is not currently covered by the order in council, was used recently to kill two police officers in Ontario. A clear line must be drawn to ban all semi-automatic rifles as part of this legislation.
Furthermore, Ms. Wendy Cukier, from the Coalition for Gun Control, stated:
The second area in which we think the legislation could be strengthened is with respect to the ban on semi-automatic military-style weapons. We think that a definition should be included to make very clear the evergreen requirements for this legislation. We know from the 1995 orders in council that gun manufacturers will circumvent any lists that are provided, so it's important to have a clear definition, perhaps like those in the California laws, in the legislation along with the OIC.
This testimony also supports our efforts to ensure that the definition of prohibited firearms is comprehensive and properly addresses the public safety of all Canadians. Given the demonstrated need for these amendments and the related testimony we have heard while questioning witnesses, I hope everyone will support these amendments to create a more comprehensive definition of a prohibited firearm and to improve the public safety of all Canadians.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.