Mr. Speaker, the member is absolutely right. The Coalition for Gun Control, for example, would agree entirely with the his concern about the transportation issue. That was the subject of great debate before committee.
The undermining by cabinet of the restrictions on firearms, given the authority it has taken for itself in this bill, is another example of the centralization of power by the Conservatives for obviously political purposes.
The last point the member made about the grace period and the unusual nature of the grace period has also been the subject of many people in the police community and others who wonder why on Earth we would have such a period in the bill.
As my hon. friend pointed out, usually a licence is for a fixed period of time. We do not then usually say that if we forget about our drivers' licences, we will have six months to drive around, just because we feel like it, and hopefully we will not get caught by the police, but if we do, we have a grace period.
It is kind of a bizarre position to take. Not only is it bizarre, but to the point of public safety that the member so cogently raised, people have talked about how the period, when applying for a licence, is used to screen people for mental health issues, potential risks to themselves and others. If there is some sort of grace period, that can delay the information being available to the police and others for safety concerns.
Finally, undermining the Chief Firearms Officer and referring to them, as Conservatives have done, as simply bureaucrats is a shameful position to take.