Evidence of meeting #67 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.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Philippe Méla  Legislative Clerk
Rachel Mainville-Dale  Acting Director General, Firearms Policy, Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Sandro Giammaria  Counsel, Department of Justice
Phaedra Glushek  Counsel, Criminal Law Policy Section, Department of Justice
Rob Mackinnon  Director, Canadian Firearms Program, Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Kellie Paquette  Director General, Canadian Firearms Program, Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Pascale Bourassa  Acting Director General, Directorate of Security and Safeguards, Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission

7:40 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Ron McKinnon

Mr. Shipley or Mr. Perkins. Would somebody like to move this motion?

7:40 p.m.

Conservative

Doug Shipley Conservative Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, ON

I'll move the motion.

7:40 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Ron McKinnon

Do you wish to speak to the motion as you move it?

7:40 p.m.

Conservative

Doug Shipley Conservative Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, ON

No, but I'd like to read it out, if I could, please.

7:40 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Ron McKinnon

Go ahead.

7:40 p.m.

Conservative

Doug Shipley Conservative Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, ON

It's that Bill C-21, in clause 34, be amended by replacing line 30 on page 22 with the following:

have collected or received from a member of the immediate family of the holder of a licence or a person who resides with the holder, or an organization authorized to submit an application on their behalf, a peace officer or a medical professional, that the hold‐

That's it.

7:45 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Ron McKinnon

Thank you.

Is there anything further?

7:45 p.m.

Conservative

Doug Shipley Conservative Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, ON

Yes, just briefly, we would like to narrow the use of “any person” to immediate family and medical professionals in this amendment.

7:45 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Ron McKinnon

Thank you.

Mr. Julian, we'll start you over.

7:45 p.m.

NDP

Peter Julian NDP New Westminster—Burnaby, BC

I'll just say that I agree with the intent of CPC-19. I believe that NDP-4 is better. I'll be voting against CPC-19, not because I have anything against my Conservative colleagues but because I feel that NDP-4 is stronger and more effective in this clause.

7:45 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Ron McKinnon

Thank you.

Ms. Damoff, please.

7:45 p.m.

Liberal

Pam Damoff Liberal Oakville North—Burlington, ON

I agree with my NDP colleague.

7:45 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Ron McKinnon

Ms. Michaud, you have the floor.

7:45 p.m.

Bloc

Kristina Michaud Bloc Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC

I think some of my colleagues are proposing to strengthen these tools in other amendments that will follow. Unfortunately, it seems to me that this amendment weakens the measure. I will therefore be voting against it.

7:45 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Ron McKinnon

Thank you.

Is there any further discussion on this amendment?

Mr. Shipley.

7:45 p.m.

Conservative

Doug Shipley Conservative Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, ON

I have one quick question. Maybe the officials could tell me what the definition of “any person” would encompass.

7:45 p.m.

Acting Director General, Firearms Policy, Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness

Rachel Mainville-Dale

I think I would use the ordinary dictionary sense of “any person”.

7:45 p.m.

Conservative

Doug Shipley Conservative Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, ON

Okay.

7:45 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Ron McKinnon

Seeing no further discussion, I shall call the vote on CPC-19.

(Amendment negatived: nays 7; yeas 4)

7:45 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Ron McKinnon

Thank you. The amendment is defeated.

I will now go to NDP-4.

Mr. Julian, if you please.

7:45 p.m.

NDP

Peter Julian NDP New Westminster—Burnaby, BC

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

On NDP-4, you'll recall that this is recommended by both Doctors for Protection from Guns and the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians. Both believe this measure would be appropriate. They feel they need to have protection under the law not to be found in violation of doctor-patient confidentiality, so this particular amendment would ensure that doctors can report when a person may be a danger to themselves or others.

It is in the same framing as Mr. Ruff's amendment that we adopted earlier, which was an excellent amendment. What we're doing is just providing additional supports and protection. I think that is something we can all get behind.

What it would do is replace line 30 on page 22 in the clause with the following statement:

have collected or received from any person, including a psychologist, a psychiatrist, a nurse, a nurse practitioner or a medical practitioner, that the hold-

Then it continues as listed in the clause.

Hopefully, we'll have a consensus around this, as we have through most of this exercise. This is an important additional level of protection for people, and it goes in the same sense as Mr. Ruff's amendment.

7:45 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Ron McKinnon

Thank you, Mr. Julian.

We'll go to Mr. Shipley and then to Madame Michaud.

7:45 p.m.

Conservative

Doug Shipley Conservative Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, ON

Thank you, chair.

While I appreciate what took place earlier with Mr. Ruff's amendment, and I think that was a good amendment, I'm feeling that in this NDP-4, the term “any person” is a little vague, so I won't be able to support this amendment.

7:45 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Ron McKinnon

Thank you, Mr. Shipley.

Ms. Michaud, you have the floor.

7:45 p.m.

Bloc

Kristina Michaud Bloc Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I am genuinely wondering about the need for the proposed addition. To my mind, "a psychologist, a psychiatrist, a nurse, a nurse practitioner or a medical practitioner" are persons, so this addition is already included when it talks about any person. It does not give them more power.

I see the intent behind this amendment, but does it give these people more authority? Not really, as I understand it.