(Ottawa) Imports of handguns into Canada will be banned in two weeks.
Posted at 10:41 a.m.
Updated at 11:30 a.m.
This prohibition already appears in Bill C-21 tabled on May 30 in the House of Commons, but the government is accelerating its entry into force.
It is therefore technically a temporary freeze, which will become permanent once the legislation is approved by Parliament.
The Trudeau government had previously signaled its intention to move forward with some of the provisions of C-21 pending its passage.
The Ministers of Public Security, Marco Mendicino, and of Foreign Affairs, Mélanie Joly, chose to implement it when we are witnessing an outbreak of armed violence in Montreal.
There is no direct causal link between the shootings on the Montreal and Laval territories and this announcement made on Friday, it was reported to the office of Minister Mendicino.
If we wanted to move urgently, it’s because the problem is national, but also because there was an explosion in arms sales in the wake of the tabling of Bill C- 21, it was noted.
At a press conference in Toronto, another city struggling with frequent episodes of gun violence, Minister Mendicino called on the parties to act with the same speed in the legislative process.
He also criticized the Conservative MPs, accusing them of obstructing the passage of Bill C-21.
The temporary ban means that individuals and businesses will no longer be able to import handguns into Canada, with some exceptions.
The power to decree this prohibition is in the hands of Minister Joly.
It, which has the authority to issue import and export permits or not, will not grant new ones as of August 19.
“The time has come to prevent firearms from circulating on our streets,” pleaded the MP for Ahuntsic-Cartierville, where a murder was committed earlier this week.
“I am extremely concerned about the situation, and I know that people expect us to do more,” she said on the microphone.
The restrictions will come into effect on August 19 and will last until the national freeze comes into effect.
Currently, it is estimated that over one million handguns are in circulation in the country. Over the past decade, some 55,000 of these weapons have been registered each year on average, not including weapons that are imported and sold illegally.
PolySeSouvient welcomes the announcement
The group PolySeSouvient, which represents survivors and families of victims of armed violence, welcomed this announcement, even if it would have been preferable to impose this temporary freeze as soon as Bill C-21 is tabled in May.
“We applaud the determination and ingenuity of Ministers Mendicino and Joly in the government’s efforts to curb the exponential growth in the number of handguns in private hands in Canada, until the passage of the bill C-21 as well as related regulations,” commented Nathalie Provost, a survivor of the 1989 Polythechnique massacre.
However, she said the import ban will not put an end to the purchase of handguns in Canada since there are still commercial supplies, including stocks that have been able to be replenished after they have run out, and because domestic production can still continue.
But she describes this approach as “important and innovative”, and which will “unquestionably” slow down the expansion of the Canadian handgun market pending the adoption of Bill C-21.
“Ideally, the purchase of new handguns would have ended within days of the tabling of the draft regulations to that effect, which was done at the end of May, the same day the government introduced its Bill C-21. But passing the bylaw required the unanimous consent of all parties and, unfortunately and unsurprisingly, the Conservative Party refused to cooperate,” lamented Nathalie Provost.