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.
Counsel, Criminal Law Policy Section, Department of Justice
That's correct.
Conservative
Raquel Dancho Conservative Kildonan—St. Paul, MB
Police tours have shown me that. I would assume the military has carbines as well.
To be clear, the objective is to ensure that the banks and the mint—actually, one of the mints in Canada is in Winnipeg, of all places, where I'm from—are allowed to carry carbines to protect their financial assets, in essence.
Acting Director General, Firearms Policy, Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Just for clarification, it's not all banks. It's the Bank of Canada.
Conservative
Raquel Dancho Conservative Kildonan—St. Paul, MB
Oh, pardon me. It's not all banks. Is it just that one in particular?
Counsel, Criminal Law Policy Section, Department of Justice
It's just the Bank of Canada as a federal entity. It's not all banks. It's just that one.
Conservative
Raquel Dancho Conservative Kildonan—St. Paul, MB
That is not currently the case. Right now the Bank of Canada does not employ anyone who can carry carbines, but they will after this.
Counsel, Criminal Law Policy Section, Department of Justice
They are carrying them now. They are covered under the current amnesty order under one of the paragraphs that allow them to continue to use them to protect assets. They have been continually able to use them under the amnesty order now to help protect assets.
Counsel, Criminal Law Policy Section, Department of Justice
Yes, I believe so.
Conservative
Conservative
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ron McKinnon
Thank you, Ms. Dancho.
We're kind of learning the ropes here on how we're going to conduct this. Going forward, once we start the vote, we're going to finish the vote and carry on, but you're entitled to speak for any clause or any amendment.
Conservative
Raquel Dancho Conservative Kildonan—St. Paul, MB
I have a point of order, quickly. Are we not doing G-23, G-24 or G-25, then?
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ron McKinnon
Let's finish this one. Then I'll answer your question as best I can.
We will now go to the vote. Shall clause 12 as amended carry?
Conservative
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ron McKinnon
We'll have a recorded vote.
(Clause 12 as amended agreed to: yeas 7; nays 4)
This brings us to new clause 12.1 and G-23, which is in the name, I expect, of Mr. Noormohamed.
Liberal
Taleeb Noormohamed Liberal Vancouver Granville, BC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
This is dealing with parts that are used for the construction of ghost guns. It deals with the issue of pre-clearance officers. It's simply a provision that ensures they are not guilty of an offence if the only reason they're transporting, transferring or importing a firearm is that it's part of their employment or duties.
We're amending this to include “firearm part”. Surely this should not be contentious. Surely this should not require a whole bunch of debate. Surely the will of the House to move quickly on this will be made whole.
Conservative
Raquel Dancho Conservative Kildonan—St. Paul, MB
Thank you.
Can the officials just confirm who this impacts? Can you add a little more meat to the bone of what Mr. Noormohamed explained?
Counsel, Department of Justice
It's very similar to the immunities we just discussed. These immunities are for a particular class of enforcement. It's for pre-clearance officers, as I think Mr. Noormohamed mentioned. I can't say too much about them, but they're a class of peace officers who have duties specific to ports of entry.
As I understand it, there's a pre-clearance process, of which they are a part. They do have limited and geographically specific peace officer authority. If ever they're called upon to deal with, let's say, the context of smuggling or the like, they would be immune from dealing with firearm parts, as a police officer would, let's say, in more domestic circumstances away from a port of entry.
Conservative
Raquel Dancho Conservative Kildonan—St. Paul, MB
Thank you.
Are pre-clearance officers the CBSA officers we see when we come into the airport from the U.S.?
Acting Director General, Firearms Policy, Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
It would be, for example, when you go to the Ottawa airport and Americans are here on Canadian soil pre-clearing you to enter into the United States. That's a pre-clearance officer.