House unanimously passes Quebec MP motion to set up parliamentary committee to study gun trafficking
The Bloc Québécois succeeded Tuesday in expediting the formation of a parliamentary committee to study the illegal trafficking of firearms in Canada as early as Wednesday.
In the third week of House of Commons proceedings, the formation of committees to study legislation and other parliamentary concerns is still pending. Only the Finance Committee has been formed to deal with a bill tabled by the government, C-2, which would review federal support for the pandemic.
On Tuesday morning, the government House leader was still promising that all parliamentary committees would be established by Dec. 17, when the year-end break on the Hill begins.
In the House on Tuesday afternoon, Bloc Québécois MP Kristina Michaud moved a motion that the Public Safety and National Security Committee be formed that day and that it be instructed to "undertake a study on gun control, illegal gun trafficking and the increase in gun crime committed by street gang members as a matter of priority."
As there were no objections to her motion, it was immediately passed unanimously.
The committee will call the federal Minister of Public Safety, Marco Mendicino, for three hours of testimony in response to the Bloc motion. The same invitation was extended to representatives of the RCMP.
The issue of handguns has been a hot topic in Ottawa since the death of Thomas Trudel, a 16-year-old boy who was killed on the evening of Nov. 14 in Montreal's St. Michel neighbourhood. Since then, both Mayor Valérie Plante and Premier François Legault have called on the federal government to find a way to reduce the flow of handguns in the country.
Last summer, during the election campaign, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged to give provinces the power to ban handguns if they wanted to, though they are waiting for the bill that would make that promise a reality.
Quebec called for this power in a unanimous motion passed in the National Assembly last February.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Dec. 7, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Louis Gossett Jr., 1st Black man to win supporting actor Oscar, dies at 87
Louis Gossett Jr., the first Black man to win a supporting actor Oscar and an Emmy winner for his role in the seminal TV miniseries 'Roots,' has died. He was 87.
Weather alerts issued for 7 provinces, 1 territory
Warnings of up to 60 millimetres of rain and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces and one territory ahead of the Easter weekend.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Luxury cruise line selling world cruise suite for US$1.7 million
Luxury operator Regent Seven Seas Cruises is raising their price tag to eye-watering levels, with a suite on an upcoming 140-day world voyage costing US$1.7 million.
Why Kim Kardashian is being sued for 'knockoff' furniture
The estate of minimalist contemporary artist Donald Judd filed a lawsuit against Kardashian this week, claiming the fashion and beauty mogul promoted 'cheap knockoffs' of his furniture designs.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
A Filipino villager is nailed to a cross for the 35th time on Good Friday to pray for world peace
A Filipino villager has been nailed to a wooden cross for the 35th time to reenact Jesus Christ’s suffering in a brutal Good Friday tradition he said he would devote to pray for peace in Ukraine, Gaza and the disputed South China Sea.
Ontario homeowner on the hook for $27,000 when contractor severed power line
An Ontario man who built a garage on his property has been locked in a battle with his electricity provider for a year and half over a severed power line.
King Charles will attend Easter Sunday service at Windsor
Buckingham Palace officials say King Charles III and Queen Camilla will attend an Easter service at the chapel at Windsor Castle on Sunday.