The federal Liberal government’s contentious gun control legislation Bill C-21 passed the Senate without changes on Thursday and is now poised to become law.
The bill passed the House of Commons in May after months of division and political acrimony. The version that made it to the Senate was significantly expanded from what the federal government had initially tabled a year prior.
Tighten gun laws to include “red flag” and “yellow flag” provisions related to a gun owner posing a risk to themselves or others;
Impose a “freeze” on the sale, purchase or transfer of handguns in Canada;
A prospective Criminal Code “technical definition” of what constitutes a prohibited assault-style firearm, meant to “cement in law” a permanent ban on future models once the bill comes into force;
A series of provisions meant to make it illegal to make or buy ghost guns and to combat firearms smuggling; and
Wording making clear the government’s intent to uphold Indigenous treaty rights.
The bill also includes a requirement for a parliamentary review of the technical definition five years after it comes into effect, while a series of other related measures are being advanced through regulations.
Defending Bill C-21 at the time, then-public safety minister Marco Mendicino said the Liberals were committed to go further “than any government in the history of this country” when it comes to gun control, while Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre asserted the legislation targets law-abiding gun owners.
When the bill moved to the Senate, many gun control observers had wondered what, if any, amendments would be made to the legislation.
Ultimately, after six sitting months that included a dozen days of study at the Senate National Security, Defence and Veterans Affairs Committee, where 66 witnesses were heard from, Bill C-21 passed the Senate without amendment.
Though, senators did submit several observations about the bill, including that the government should consider “additional policy measures,” to address outstanding concerns, such as implementing a Canada-wide database and data collection process regarding all gun-related injuries and death, and consulting further with sport shooters.
In the view of Conservative senators, the inability to pass amendments to Bill C-21 was due to resistance from the “government majority,” concluding that it will be up to a future government to correct the “serious errors” that remain within the “extremely divisive bill.”
Reacting to the bill’s passage, members of the Coalition for Gun Control celebrated that the bill will be granted royal assent “unscathed,” after a “very challenging” and protracted parliamentary process.
“The game-changing bill reflects more than thirty years of advocacy… to make Canadians safer from gun violence. The legislation responds to the concerns of experts, community groups and Canadians from coast to coast, and proposes measured but effective solutions,” reads the group’s statement.
“Today really is a historic day.”
In a statement, PolySeSouvient said while the Liberal-led gun control measures becoming law is “a solid victory for public safety,” the fight “is not over” as much of the bill’s impact will be determined by the coinciding regulations.
Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc marked the bill’s passage by thanking Sen. Hassan Yussuff for “shepherding” the bill through the Senate,” and noted it will now be presented to Gov. Gen. Mary Simon for her final signoff.
The bill is expected to receive royal assent on Friday, ahead of a long holiday hiatus for the House of Commons and Senate.
OTTAWA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the NDP is caving to political pressure from Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre when it comes to their stance on the consumer carbon price.
Trudeau says he believes Jagmeet Singh and the NDP care about the environment, but it’s “increasingly obvious” that they have “no idea” what to do about climate change.
On Thursday, Singh said the NDP is working on a plan that wouldn’t put the burden of fighting climate change on the backs of workers, but wouldn’t say if that plan would include a consumer carbon price.
Singh’s noncommittal position comes as the NDP tries to frame itself as a credible alternative to the Conservatives in the next federal election.
Poilievre responded to that by releasing a video, pointing out that the NDP has voted time and again in favour of the Liberals’ carbon price.
British Columbia Premier David Eby also changed his tune on Thursday, promising that a re-elected NDP government would scrap the long-standing carbon tax and shift the burden to “big polluters,” if the federal government dropped its requirements.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
Simon Jolin-Barrette, minister responsible for consumer protection, has tabled a bill to force merchants to calculate tips based on the price before tax.
That means on a restaurant bill of $100, suggested tips would be calculated based on $100, not on $114.98 after provincial and federal sales taxes are added.
The bill would also increase the rebate offered to consumers when the price of an item at the cash register is higher than the shelf price, to $15 from $10.
And it would force grocery stores offering a discounted price for several items to clearly list the unit price as well.
Businesses would also have to indicate whether taxes will be added to the price of food products.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
Quebec legislature member Youri Chassin has announced he’s leaving the Coalition Avenir Québec government to sit as an Independent.
He announced the decision shortly after writing an open letter criticizing Premier François Legault’s government for abandoning its principles of smaller government.
In the letter published in Le Journal de Montréal and Le Journal de Québec, Chassin accused the party of falling back on what he called the old formula of throwing money at problems instead of looking to do things differently.
Chassin says public services are more fragile than ever, despite rising spending that pushed the province to a record $11-billion deficit projected in the last budget.
He is the second CAQ member to leave the party in a little more than one week, after economy and energy minister Pierre Fitzgibbon announced Sept. 4 he would leave because he lost motivation to do his job.
Chassin says he has no intention of joining another party and will instead sit as an Independent until the end of his term.
He has represented the Saint-Jérôme riding since the CAQ rose to power in 2018, but has not served in cabinet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
