Supporters of stringent gun control laws are testifying this week at public hearings into a long gun registry in Quebec.
The province is debating Bill 64, which would create a provincial list of all long guns bought, sold, and owned in the province.
The Quebec Association of provincial police officers, and the Quebec Association for Public Health, are among the supporters of the legislation, as is Public Security Minister Martin Coiteux.
"I think it's very important for police services to have this tool. I think there is a historical context which explains why we want this tool, why it is so important in Quebec," said Coiteux.
Others expected to testify include several victims of gun violence, and families of those who were killed by firearms.
A lawyer representing Canada's National Firearms says tragedies such as the Polytechnique massacre, or the Dawson College shooting, don't justify a gun registry.
"Marc Lepine owned his guns legally. A registry would not have kept him from shooting people," said Guy Lavergne.
The federal government abolished the Canada-wide registry several years ago, and fought a court battle in order to destroy the data already collected from Quebec.
Last year the Conservative government was forced to preserve the data relating to Quebec residents due to an ongoing court challenge while the validity of Bill C-59 was challenged.
Premier Philippe Couillard has said the province will be very careful of cost overruns, estimating it will cost under $20 million to launch Quebec's list of long guns.
Coiteux said Quebec plans for a low-cost tool that will be easy to use and painless to comply with.
"The question here is to do it for the lowest possibly cost, is to eliminate as many irritants as possible especially for people practicing their activities of hunting and fishing," said Coiteux.
Lavergne argues the province should be investing more in mental health.
"If you look at the tragedies we've had in Quebec -- whether it's Marc Lepine, it's Denis Lortie, it's Valery Fabrikant, or it's Kimveer Gill -- the problem was what was going on in their head. That's what we need to deal with," he said.
The measure is expected to easily pass in the National Assembly, although it is still not known if all MNAs will be allowed to vote freely or if they will be forced to vote along party lines.
"It's normal that we have debates, but at the end of the day we have a position as a party on this question," said Parti Quebecois MNA Stephane Bergeron.
MNAs in rural areas have expressed doubts about the efficacy of registry and its impact on their constituents.
The Liberal party and the Parti Quebecois support the legislation, while the Coalition Avenir Quebec announced Thursday its MNAs will be freed to vote as they wish.
The hearings will continue until mid-April.
Correction: An earlier version of this article mistakenly said the Conservative government had to give the long gun registry data to the Quebec government.
