SECU Committee Report

Bloc Québécois supplementary report regarding the study on gun control, illegal arms trafficking and the increase in gun crimes committed by members of street gangs

The gun violence and deadly shootings that have been plaguing Montreal’s metropolitan area in recent months, leaving many victims in their wake, show that the federal government is not doing enough to manage illegal arms trafficking and gun control. On 7 December 2021, a Bloc Québécois motion was passed unanimously by the House of Commons, instructing the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security to undertake as a priority a study on gun control, illegal arms trafficking and the increase in gun crimes committed by members of street gangs and to report on constructive and practical solutions to the Government of Canada.

Throughout the study, the Bloc Québécois kept the focus on border security, since hundreds of illegal firearms cross the Canada–US border every week. Evidence suggests that most of these illegal weapons are finding their way into the hands of members of street gangs, which is contributing to the violence taking place in the Montreal area. The Bloc Québécois also called for the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne and the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service to be heard, given the unique considerations of the community’s territory, which straddles the borders of Quebec, Ontario and the United States.

The Bloc Québécois would like to thank all the witnesses who appeared as part of this important study. It hopes that the recommendations in this report will be implemented by the federal government in order to effect real change that ensures the safety of communities and puts an end to gun violence for once and for all. We believe it is important to take decisive action so that everyone can live in a society where they feel safe. While the Bloc Québécois agrees with the recommendations made in this report, we believe that additional clarifications are needed. This supplementary report calls on the federal government to respect the jurisdiction of Quebec and the provinces and to support and fund their initiatives instead of competing with them.

The Bloc Québécois believes that Recommendation 19 should be reworded as follows:

• -  That the Government of Canada ensure that border surveillance of international commercial rail operations and ocean freight shipping operations is enhanced.

Further to Recommendation 20, the Bloc Québécois proposes:

• -  That the Government of Canada expand the mandate of Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officers to include seizing more illegal weapons at the border.

Further to Recommendation 22, the Bloc Québécois proposes:

• -  That the Government of Canada amend the definition of prohibited firearms within the Criminal Code to define an assault weapon in order to make weapons not covered by the May 2020 orders illegal (e.g., WK180).

The Bloc Québécois believes that Recommendation 24 should be reworded as follows:

• -  That the Government of Canada implement, as soon as possible, the mandatory buyback program promised as part of the ban on assault-style firearms announced on 1 May 2020.

Further to Recommendation 26, the Bloc Québécois proposes:

• -  That the Government of Canada amend the necessary legislation regarding firearms magazines that can be easily modified, in order to make them illegal, which would ensure that the maximum legal capacity could no longer be exceeded with simple modifications.

Furthermore, the Bloc Québécois proposes:

• -  That the Government of Canada take into consideration the recommendations of this report and introduce a bill to amend the Criminal Code, the Firearms Act and other federal statutes as soon as possible, in order to formalize its commitments involving gun control with a view to protecting Quebeckers and Canadians from the harms associated with firearms.
• -  That the Government of Canada grant the provinces the authority to ban handguns.
• -  That the Government of Canada create a forum for collaboration and information sharing between various police forces and organizations involved in the fight against firearms trafficking.