Senator Yussuff: Furthermore, they reflect the important cultural perspective of Indigenous people across the country. The bill respects and recognizes the traditional and cultural importance of hunting for Indigenous communities. The government also recognizes the importance of consultation and cooperation with Indigenous people to ensure consistency of federal laws with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

While the government has acted through a prospective technical definition to prevent assault-style firearms from entering into our communities, this bill also includes a specific clause that clearly states that nothing in this definition is intended to derogate from the rights of Indigenous people under section 35 of the Constitution.

The government also continues to signal its commitment to continue working with Indigenous communities by engaging in an open dialogue regarding any unintended impact that the bill may have on Indigenous people. There will be further opportunities for engagement in the Indigenous communities across Canada if — and when — the bill passes in the Senate and the House.

The government has pledged it will continue to seek out the views and perspectives of various Indigenous groups, and they will, of course, be consulted during the regulatory process, as well as during the implementation phase of specific measures in the bill.

In conclusion, colleagues, the goal of this bill is to keep communities safe; none of us will disagree with that. As we know, no single program or initiative alone can end gun violence.

I know that gun control by itself will not solve all of the problems associated with gun violence, but it is an important piece of the puzzle that will make a significant difference. This is why I think that Bill C-21 is just one of the many government initiatives aimed at keeping our communities safe across this country. It seeks to cap the number of handguns in circulation by creating a freeze on the sale, purchase and transfer of handguns. It creates a new definition for assault-style firearms that only applies to newly designed and manufactured weapons after the bill becomes law.

It creates yellow flag laws and red flag laws to reduce firearm‑related family violence and self-harm. It raises the maximum sentence for illegal gun smugglers and traffickers at the border from 10 years to 14 years, and it takes action against ghost guns that are becoming a serious problem in our country.

The bill doesn’t take one gun away from any legal gun owner in this country, whether they’re a handgun owner, a hunter or a sports shooter. I want to be perfectly clear that if you own a legal handgun, you can still keep it after this bill becomes law. If you own a legal long gun, this bill does not impact your firearm.

Colleagues, as I said at the beginning of my speech, I view this bill in terms of weighing the privileges against the rights in order to try to find a fair balance. Then, I weigh the restrictions to the privilege of owning a certain type of firearm against the rights of Canadians to a safe country free of gun violence. I feel confident that the bill gets the balance right.

Colleagues, I hope that after you give careful consideration to this bill, you will agree that it is both fair and balanced, and that you will support sending this bill to committee. Thank you.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question and for underlining the importance of Bill C-22 and of getting it to Royal Assent so that those who stand to benefit and who need the benefits will receive them and the framework — once in place — can then give rise to the programming that follows.

It remains a government priority. This is a minority Parliament. There are days that are not devoted to government business. This chamber should rest assured that the government has taken the time to consider the Senate amendments, is giving them due consideration and is working with the other parties in the house such that this bill can go through the final phases and receive Royal Assent.