Evidence of meeting #66 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 amendment.
A recording is available from Parliament.
7:20 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ron McKinnon
I thank you, Mr. Housefather.
I acknowledge that I served with Mr. Housefather on the justice committee for four years, when Mr. Housefather was chair of that committee. We've gone through this kind of stuff many times.
7:20 p.m.
Conservative
Glen Motz Conservative Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner, AB
That's a great explanation for those who don't know it.
7:20 p.m.
An hon. member
Good job, Anthony.
7:20 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ron McKinnon
He's a lawyer, too.
Anyway, are there any further interventions?
Seeing none, I'll ask the clerk to call the vote. I assume we want a recorded division.
(Amendment agreed to: yeas 11; nays 0 [See Minutes of Proceedings])
We can proceed now to amendment G-38. It's a very similar amendment. It's in the name of Mr. Noormohamed.
7:20 p.m.
Liberal
Pam Damoff Liberal Oakville North—Burlington, ON
I'm happy to speak to it, Chair.
It's similar to the other amendments we had.
Colleagues will remember that Michael Rowe from the Vancouver Police Department appeared on our study of Bill C-21. He spoke about the need to take action on ghost guns and he provided us with recommendations. Those are the recommendations that we've added as amendments. Two of them were adopted unanimously. One was on printing and one was to add the two words “firearm parts”.
Once again, these are coordinating amendments that are adding “firearm parts” to ensure that the Criminal Code reflects those original amendments that are taking action on ghost guns.
7:20 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ron McKinnon
It's Ms. Damoff. I think I said that correctly. I think I said that, but I'm getting confused.
7:20 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ron McKinnon
I get better later at night. I start to wake up. I'm a night person. I'm looking forward to later on tonight.
Mr. Motz, go ahead, please.
7:20 p.m.
Conservative
Glen Motz Conservative Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner, AB
Thank you very much, Chair.
Again, to the officials, I take it that form 11 would be the same thing as a recog or an undertaking, as you explained before, in relation to proposed new clause 13.1 of the bill. What does that refer to specifically?
Is proposed new clause 13.1 the clause that refers to how they are to be dealt with, as a recog or an undertaking?
It's on a form 11. I take it that form 11 means a recog.
May 10th, 2023 / 7:20 p.m.
Counsel, Criminal Law Policy Section, Department of Justice
It's a release order. The forms in Bill C-75 were modernized and streamlined. This one is with respect to—
7:20 p.m.
Conservative
Glen Motz Conservative Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner, AB
Is that the new word—modernized and streamlined?
7:20 p.m.
Counsel, Criminal Law Policy Section, Department of Justice
That was the intent of the bill. It was to modernize and streamline the bail provisions.
That bill modernized and streamlined all of the forms. This is a release order. It's used at bail, such that a court can make an order prohibiting a person from possessing various items, including a firearm part now, with this included. It sets out the conditions the accused must abide by while released as well as the consequence for non-compliance, among other things. There are paragraphs in form 11.
7:25 p.m.
Conservative
Glen Motz Conservative Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner, AB
Then, as was explained previously, form 11 will now contain the exact language of adding “firearm part”, which wasn't there before.
7:25 p.m.
Counsel, Criminal Law Policy Section, Department of Justice
That's correct. Exactly.
7:25 p.m.
Conservative
Philip Lawrence Conservative Northumberland—Peterborough South, ON
Thank you very much.
I have quite a few firearms owners in my riding, but I do not have a firearm nor have I been licensed. I suspect there are many people in my riding as well, who are interested in the subject but are not experts on it.
I was just wondering if you could give us a context on ghost gun.
7:25 p.m.
Counsel, Criminal Law Policy Section, Department of Justice
I'm sorry, but I don't understand the question.
7:25 p.m.
Conservative
7:25 p.m.
Counsel, Criminal Law Policy Section, Department of Justice
What is a ghost gun? That's a colloquial term. There is no definition of ghost gun, but it mainly refers to firearms that are untraceable.
7:25 p.m.
Conservative
Philip Lawrence Conservative Northumberland—Peterborough South, ON
The amendment put in here is that the firearms parts, because they're assembled, would become a ghost gun. Have I got that incorrectly?
7:25 p.m.
Counsel, Criminal Law Policy Section, Department of Justice
Firearm part, in one of the earlier amendments, is defined as barrels for firearms and “a slide for a handgun”. I got that wrong before. Those would be the parts that a person would need a licence to purchase. The intent behind the legislation is that these two parts are the most common to create a 3-D or illegally manufactured firearm and the hardest to make.
7:25 p.m.
Conservative
Philip Lawrence Conservative Northumberland—Peterborough South, ON
Individuals would be buying these two particular parts that you mentioned and manufacturing the rest of the gun and then it's untraceable. Is that the idea?