Justice committee  Good afternoon, Mr. Chair. The current stance of this bill is an admission of failure by successive governments and a failure of our country's social services. It is also an incoherent attempt to camouflage the criminal reality by trying to make it disappear. It is an attempt to

Justice committee  Yes, organized crime and street gang members, as well as bikers and mafia members, use illegal weapons almost exclusively, if not 99% of the time. In fact, it is not attractive for organized crime members to use legal weapons because they are generally unlicensed and it is too ri

Justice committee  Yes, I completely agree with that. In my opinion, the debate is in the wrong place. In fact, gun control in Canada is very effective with respect to legal weapons. However, where the problem lies is in situations where there is an influx of illegal weapons, particularly from th

Justice committee  What we know is that criminals are increasingly arrogant when it comes to firearms. In the past, criminals, particularly the heads of biker gangs, did not carry their weapons. They had them carried by bodyguards. It was the same for street gangs, who had their women carry them.

Justice committee  That is obviously unacceptable. In my opinion, anything remotely related to firearms trafficking must continue to be subject to mandatory minimum sentences. The gun dealer may not use the gun to cause irreparable harm, but that person will enable other organizations or individu

Justice committee  As you mentioned earlier, you only have to listen to the news to see that the number of shootings is increasing in Montreal and Toronto. The danger is increasing. More and more innocent people are being shot and killed. Some very serious offences are indeed covered by the provis

Justice committee  Obviously, all—

Justice committee  I would simply say that using a firearm is a very serious offence. As a society, we have to send a very strong message, particularly to the judiciary, that this is unacceptable. If someone is caught with a firearm, whether the person used it or not, as I explained earlier, that p

Justice committee  Yes, I would like to add a few comments. As I mentioned in my presentation, the Criminal Code sets out the minimum requirements for functioning in society. One of the reasons it was established was to protect people. It is a protection that the community has given itself. These

Public Safety committee  Mr. Chair, honourable members, hello. My name is André Gélinas, and I am a retired detective sergeant. I worked for the information division of the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal. I was asked to appear here today to share my expertise on different aspects of Bill C‑21

Public Safety committee  I will answer your question, if I may. You are absolutely correct. In fact, Bill C‑21 will do absolutely nothing, because, as my colleague Mr. Wall mentioned, the number of handguns from Canada is really too small compared with what is coming over the border. It's a disproportio

Public Safety committee  Technically speaking, when a firearm seized by the police bears a serial number, it takes 15 seconds to find out whether it came from Canada. In Canada, handguns have been registered since the 1930s. If the firearm is not registered in Canada, we can contact our U.S. partners and

Public Safety committee  Bill C‑5 undermines our judicial system and boosts the arrogance of criminal groups. Criminals study their surroundings and get advice from their lawyers. So, when they're told that there are no more mandatory minimum penalties, there are no longer any deterrents. The other elem

Public Safety committee  Absolutely. It is absurd that, today, a person with a little technical skill can print a 3D firearm frame, or procure one illegally, and that they can also purchase a barrel, a slide, magazines and a trigger, all of the peripheral components needed to make a gun with a 3D‑printe

Public Safety committee  Yes, you're absolutely right. That would be one solution, or at least a start. It's not normal that young adolescents can purchase compressed air guns. Also, police officers often find this type of weapon in the hands of street gang members, who use them precisely because they lo