NDP MP Peter Julian rises during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Monday, March 6, 2023. The federal New Democrats are coming under pressure from gun-control advocates to support Liberal efforts to enact a permanent ban on assault-style firearms. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
OTTAWA – Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino is telling MPs studying federal gun-control legislation that the Liberal government is committed to “getting this right.”
Mendicino is appearing this afternoon at the House of Commons public safety committee, where members are studying a government bill introduced last year.
The appearance comes more than two months after the Liberals withdrew an amendment to the bill that would have spelled out in law the various models covered by a ban on assault-style guns.
The Liberals had touted the definition as an evergreen measure that would cement in legislation a May 2020 regulatory ban of some 1,500 firearm models and variants, as well as several others flagged since then.
The government pulled the measure from consideration after weeks of criticism from Conservative MPs and some firearm advocates who said the definition would ban many commonly used hunting rifles and shotguns.
The committee started over, hearing from various groups and individuals, including Indigenous leaders, with the aim of crafting new wording for the amendment.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 25, 2023.
