Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. I would like to give a shout-out to Alistair MacGregor for his work on this committee, as of course you know about, in drafting important amendments. This is an important one as well, I would say.
As we get to the end of the amendments, I think the committee has worked really effectively together.
The reality is that this clause in the bill, as it is currently stated, shuts down the possibilities for people who are engaged in a rigorous and disciplined sport. What this amendment would do is include, besides the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee, the International Practical Shooting Confederation and the Single Action Shooting Society.
The International Practical Shooting Confederation, as you're aware, has a number of members in Canada. It is part of an international sport shooting association. There are over 100 member countries, including many that have implemented handgun bans. Those include the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia. All of those countries, even after putting in place handgun bans, do allow members to train and compete in International Practical Shooting Confederation events.
I voted against the Conservative amendment because it opened the door widely. The current law is very restrictive. This represents, I think, an ability for some people who engage in sport shooting in a very rigorous discipline to, as part of the International Practical Shooting Confederation, still participate in that sport. Potentially, they are future Olympians as well.
This is a narrow focus. We've already passed amendments that allow for rigorous criteria. What this would do is allow members who are part of the International Practical Shooting Confederation to participate.
Alistair MacGregor, of course, has been a proponent for having a disciplined and very rigorous application of the law while allowing future Olympians, and those who train to very rigorous standards through the International Practical Shooting Confederation, to participate.
I would suggest that in the same way we found a way through with airsoft, we've ensured that the bill complies with the highest standards. With airsoft, we have allowed for the government to set a regulatory framework. We've just adopted another amendment that allows the government, as Ms. Damoff has explained, to apply regulations. I would suggest that this amendment makes some sense. It doesn't open the door widely in any way, but it does allow for those who are part of a rigorous, disciplined sport to continue to participate. As I mentioned, some of them may well be the Olympians of tomorrow.
When we look at other countries that have handgun bans in place, they have created an exemption for the International Practical Shooting Confederation. That seems to be a best practice we can follow.