Evidence of meeting #50 for Public Safety and National Security in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was firearm.
A recording is available from Parliament.
11:50 a.m.
Conservative
Dane Lloyd Conservative Sturgeon River—Parkland, AB
It would be more immediate for them to do it through an OIC. Would you agree that it would be a faster process to do it through an OIC rather than through legislation?
11:50 a.m.
Counsel, Criminal Law Policy Section, Department of Justice
It would be a faster process, but what's being proposed is that the process be part of the legislative process before Parliament.
11:50 a.m.
Conservative
Dane Lloyd Conservative Sturgeon River—Parkland, AB
I appreciate that.
That answer tells me that there is no urgent public safety need to ban these additional 400 firearms because the government has not banned them through an OIC, so it's willing to wait weeks and months, depending on how long before this legislation passes, to let these firearms be added to the legislation. That indicates to me that it's not because of any urgent public safety measure.
If you can say, what are the other...? Ms. Damoff stated that the reason they want to add this to the legislation is to prevent a future government—and, I think, a Conservative government, they said—from repealing it using an order in council. It is their intention to add this to legislation so that a future government would have to explicitly pass legislation to repeal it. Is that your understanding? Is that correct?
11:55 a.m.
Counsel, Criminal Law Policy Section, Department of Justice
That's correct. Any amendment with a definition of “prohibited firearm” that is set out in the Criminal Code would have to be amended in the future through the parliamentary process.
11:55 a.m.
Conservative
Dane Lloyd Conservative Sturgeon River—Parkland, AB
Are there any court cases ongoing right now that this would have an impact on?
11:55 a.m.
Counsel, Criminal Law Policy Section, Department of Justice
I cannot speak to any ongoing litigation.
11:55 a.m.
Conservative
Dane Lloyd Conservative Sturgeon River—Parkland, AB
Okay.
It's just interesting to me that you mentioned a regulatory impact statement that the government used to say that these firearms were too dangerous, so they were not considered reasonable for hunting and sporting purposes. Is that a public regulatory statement?
11:55 a.m.
Counsel, Criminal Law Policy Section, Department of Justice
Yes, it is. It's attached to the regulations that were published on May 1, 2020.
11:55 a.m.
Conservative
Dane Lloyd Conservative Sturgeon River—Parkland, AB
Maybe you could send that to the committee. I'd appreciate that if you could.
Is there anything in that regulatory impact statement that says...? Did the government just come out and say that it is its opinion that these are too dangerous? Was there any consultation done? Did the government provided any evidence to back up its assertion that these firearms are too dangerous?
11:55 a.m.
Counsel, Criminal Law Policy Section, Department of Justice
As my colleague mentioned two days ago, the government did undertake consultations in 2018. They were broadly based consultations, and there is a report that's published that sets out—
11:55 a.m.
Conservative
Dane Lloyd Conservative Sturgeon River—Parkland, AB
I am aware of that. I read it yesterday—thank you—after you noted that to me.
11:55 a.m.
Conservative
Dane Lloyd Conservative Sturgeon River—Parkland, AB
I would note that in that legislation there were never any direct consultations on semi-automatic rifles and shotguns, though.
Am I wrong? Was there ever...? I saw there was a survey where they asked a number of questions. Were there any questions about whether or not the government should ban semi-automatic rifles and shotguns?
11:55 a.m.
Counsel, Criminal Law Policy Section, Department of Justice
That is actually a question that I will defer to my colleague at Public Safety.
11:55 a.m.
Rachel Mainville-Dale Acting Director General, Firearms Policy, Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
With regard to what was consulted on in 2018 and what made the basis of that regulatory impact analysis statement, I would refer you to that regulatory impact analysis statement.
11:55 a.m.
Conservative
11:55 a.m.
Acting Director General, Firearms Policy, Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
I'm sorry. Can you hear me now?
11:55 a.m.
Conservative
Dane Lloyd Conservative Sturgeon River—Parkland, AB
Maybe my thing isn't working. You were faint.
You were referring me to the regulatory impact statement, but are you aware of the government's consultation that took place, I believe, in 2019? Are you aware of that consultation?
11:55 a.m.
Acting Director General, Firearms Policy, Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
I am aware.
11:55 a.m.
Conservative
Dane Lloyd Conservative Sturgeon River—Parkland, AB
Are you aware of the contents of that consultation?
11:55 a.m.
Acting Director General, Firearms Policy, Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Broadly.
11:55 a.m.
Conservative
Dane Lloyd Conservative Sturgeon River—Parkland, AB
Are you aware of—can you confirm or deny—whether or not the government asked those they consulted whether they supported a ban on semi-automatic shotguns and rifles in that consultation?
11:55 a.m.
Acting Director General, Firearms Policy, Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
I cannot. I am here to provide information with regard to the motions that have been put forward, in terms of the impact of those.
11:55 a.m.
Conservative
Dane Lloyd Conservative Sturgeon River—Parkland, AB
Okay. Thank you.
Are you aware that one of the survey questions—and I think it was a very leading question because we don't have a definition of what an “assault weapon” is—was whether more action needed to be taken to ban assault weapons in this country.
Are you aware that 77% of respondents to the government's consultation said that they thought we had enough regulations or did not need more regulations for so-called assault weapons in this country? Are you aware of that statistic in that consultation?
11:55 a.m.
Acting Director General, Firearms Policy, Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
That's a question that I think I would invite you to pose to the minister.