Ottawa Will Continue Firearms Consultations to Ensure ‘Right Weapons’ Are Banned: Trudeau

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau rises during question period in the House of Commons in Ottawa on June 21, 2022. The Canadian Press/Patrick Doyle

The federal government will continue its consultations with firearms owners about Bill C-21 to ensure that the “right weapons” are banned, says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

“We’re moving forward with a definition to define assault-style weapons,” Trudeau said in the House of Commons on Dec. 13 during question period. “We will continue to consult with Canadians and all parliamentarians to ensure that we’re capturing the right weapons.”

Trudeau said on Dec. 5 that the federal government is “listening to feedback” from firearms owners about the proposed amendments to Bill C-21, which if passed will ban an additional 300 to 400 firearms, many of which are shotguns and rifles commonly used for hunting.

Before being amended, the legislation aimed to permanently ban 1,500 firearms deemed to be “assault-style.”

Trudeau said today that his government will be “eliminating the guns that are most dangerous.”

“We are not interested in going after guns that are typically used for hunting and protecting farms,” he said. “We’re going to continue to make sure that we’re banning the most dangerous weapons that were designed to kill people in the shortest amount of time.”

‘Wrong Target’

The amendments to the contentious legislation have been criticized by opposition parties, as well as some provincial premiers and even Liberal MPs.

Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre said in the House today that the legislation is targeting “hunters and farmers rather than gun smugglers and gangsters.”

“The government has the wrong target when it comes to public safety,” Poilievre said.

Poilievre said that the government is also facing opposition from within the Liberal party for “not capturing the right weapons.”

Liberal MP Brendan Hanley said last week that he will vote against the legislation as it currently stands because it could include weapons Yukoners rely on to hunt for food. Another Liberal MP, Michael McLeod, who represents the Northwest Territories, also said he would not support the bill in its current form.

“I’m not happy with this [bill], and I’m not in a position to support this bill at this point with those amendments in play,” Hanley told CBC on Dec. 7.

Trudeau today repeated earlier accusations against Conservative politicians who he said “continue to fearmonger and share disinformation” about Bill C-21.