Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs Dominic LeBlanc speaks with Royal Canadian Mounted Police Deputy Commissioner
Mark Flynn as they prepare to appear at the Senate National Security, Defence and Veterans Affairs committee in Ottawa, Monday, Oct. 23, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
OTTAWA – The federal public safety minister says the Liberal government is pushing ahead with efforts to keep assault-style firearms out of the hands of Canadians.
Dominic LeBlanc, who assumed the portfolio over the summer, told a Senate committee today the government will enact regulations to complement gun-control legislation being studied by the upper chamber.
The government bill includes a ban on assault-style firearms that would apply once the legislation comes into force.
LeBlanc says regulatory changes will be made to ensure a mandatory physical inspection by the RCMP of all new firearm models before they enter the Canadian market.
However, advocates of stricter laws say people can still buy many assault-style firearms currently on the market.
LeBlanc reaffirmed plans to re-establish the Canadian Firearms Advisory Committee to independently review the classification of existing models that fall under the planned new prohibited weapon definition in the bill.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2023.
