GovernmentFinallyForcedtoWithdrawC-21Amendments

related homicides, compared to 6.2 per 100,000 in the U.S. in 2020. However, rates are rising, and it's important that we get ahead of gun violence before it gets worse. There has been a six percent increase in firearm-related homicides between 2020 and 2021 in Canada. The majority of those firearm-related homicides, 57 percent, were committed with handguns.

Weallwanttoseeguncrime reducedinourcommunities,andthe original intent of Bill C-21 was designed for the government to crack down on handguns. While certainly not a perfect bill, it was narrowlyfocusedonhandguns,and generally received support from New Democrats, Greens, and Bloc membersintheHouse.However,in late 2022 at the Public Safety Committee,attheeleventhhour,the government introduced massive amendments that would have prohibited a large number of rifles and shotguns that are commonly usedforhunting.

The amendments were so significant that parsing them becameaprobleminitself.Itturned what was already a fairly comprehensive 44-page bill into a monstrosity. They added two amendments, one that listed literally thousands of new weapons that would be banned, and a second amendment that would pre-ban potential firearms before coming onto market. Those amendments totaledover200pages,over5times the size of the original bill. In introducing such sweeping amendments to the bill, the Liberals grossly overplayed their hand without proper consultations with Indigenous Peoples and stakeholders, and also circumvented the process of debate and Committee study.

Somuchsothattheamendments were roundly criticized by sport shooting and hunting organizations, First Nations, and indeed MPs from all other parties, aswellasafewLiberalMPs.

The NDP actually tried to have the amendments stricken from Bill C-21, citinganabuseofprocessas the amendments far exceeded the scope of the original bill, and for not allowing MPs in the House ofCommonstheopportunity to debate the amendments. WhiletheSpeakercouldnot rule on the point of order as the bill was still in Committee, the government seeminglyfinallysawthewritingon the wall and withdrew the amendments late last week. The Justice Minister finally admitted as much, stating “We didn't quite get it right. It had a little too much reach.” Which,tobeclear,wasthemessage he was receiving consistently since the amendments were tabled monthsago.

Appropriate gun control is difficult to get right. We need to ensure that those who have been convicted of violent criminal offencescan'teasilygettheirhands onguns.Weneedtoensurethatany flowofillegalweaponsfromacross the border is cut off before they enter the country. But we also cannot impede on those who use long guns for hunting and farming, and can't hinder the treaty rights of indigenous peoples. The approach the Liberal government took was wrong. Rather than try to halt the amendments, the Conservatives usedtheopportunitytofundraiseoff the frustration felt in our Northern and rural communities rather than pushtohavethemstrickenfromthe bill.

The political games that camewiththoselast-minuteamendments could have all been avoided. Itwasanunforcederrorthatcaused unduestresstopeoplewhowerejust trying to feed their families and protecttheirlivestock.