The Trudeau government is backtracking and has just withdrawn two important controversial amendments that would have banned dozens of models of assault weapons but also hunting weapons. These proposals had outraged politicians, indigenous communities and gun owners. After two months of heated debate, the Liberal government has abdicated.
The elected Taleeb Noormohamed made the announcement, in a parliamentary committee on Friday morning. A surprising turnaround since his government had been defending tooth and nail for two months its desire to enshrine its ban on assault weapons in law in order to prevent a future Conservative government, for example, from revoking it.
The two important amendments, tabled at the very end of study in the parliamentary committee in November, had however been denounced by both the Conservative Party and the Bloc Québécois. Even the New Democratic Party had refused to support them to allow their addition to Bill C-21, which initially proposed to ban handguns in Canada.
The Liberals had also found themselves strongly criticized in many rural areas, creating unease within the Liberal caucus itself.
The PolySeSouvient group said it was “in shock”. “It is clear that the disinformation spread by the Conservative MPs and the pro-weapons lobby has won,” denounced Nathalie Provost, survivor of the Polytechnique massacre and spokesperson for the organization.
A call for a conservative vote
Pierre Poilievre wasted no time in rejoicing, for his part, congratulating his troops for forcing the Liberal government to back down.
The Conservative leader also took up the case to immediately call for a vote for his party, arguing that Justin Trudeau would inevitably return to the charge. “He will reintroduce [ces propositions] in this session of Parliament or, God protect us, if he is re-elected as the head of a majority government one day, he will ram them through,” Mr. Poilievre pleaded. “The only way for law-abiding hunters and farmers to protect their way of life is to elect a Conservative majority government led by Pierre Poilievre,” he said in English only.
The Liberal government’s two amendments proposed to modify the definition of “prohibited weapons” and then cited in an appendix to the law a list of hundreds of brands and models of weapons, over 300 pages, which would henceforth be prohibited.
The parliamentary committee on public safety agreed to withdraw them, at the request of MP Noormohamed, and agreed to extend its study of Bill C-21.
The legislative proposal would ban assault weapons, increase maximum penalties for smuggling and trafficking firearms, and revoke the firearms license of anyone involved in an act of domestic violence or stalking. .
Further details will follow.