The change will last until a permanent freeze is passed in Parliament and takes effect. The government introduced gun control legislation in May that includes a national freeze on the import, purchase, sale and transfer of guns in Canada. That law did not pass before Parliament went on summer recess and is set to be debated again when MPs return to Ottawa in the fall. Meanwhile, Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly said she has the power to ban any import or export license to Canada. “Working with Marco, we came up with this idea to create this new permit requirement system,” Joly said. “But in the meantime, we will refuse any permission.” The temporary ban will prevent businesses from importing handguns into Canada, with some exceptions that mirror those in legislation tabled in May. “Since almost all of our handguns are imported, that means we’ll be putting our national weapon on hold even sooner,” Mendicino said. “From that moment forward, the number of guns in Canada will only decrease.”
Arms imports have increased
Government trade data show Canada imported $26.4 million worth of handguns and revolvers between January and June — a 52 per cent increase compared to the same period last year. PolySeSouvient, a group representing survivors and families of victims of gun violence, applauded the government’s approach to freezing imports in a statement released Friday. “This is an important and creative measure that will undoubtedly slow the expansion of the Canadian gun market until Bill C-21 is passed, hopefully this fall,” said Nathalie Provost, a survivor of the 1989 Ecole Polytechnique shooting in Montreal. Mendicino and Joly announced the change outside a Catholic elementary school in the Toronto suburb of Etobicoke, as children kicked soccer balls on the field behind them.
