Leader of the Opposition Candice Bergen said the Liberals have engaged in a game of smoke and mirrors. On one hand, they are banning handguns. On the other hand, Bill C-5 is making its way through parliament..The new gun-control bill was presented in parliament on Monday, which Bergen says is not keeping communities safe. However, according to the Conservatives Canadians are distracted by the attention the new proposed gun law is gaining on social media while the Liberals Bill C-5 is being "pushed through" parliament.."They are pushing through Bill C-5, which tells criminals not to worry; if they are convicted of a gun crime, they can just hang out at home for their sentence," Bergen told the House of Commons on May 31.."This is not keeping communities safe and it is not reassuring to moms and dads who are worried about their kids.".Trudeau said in response to Bergen, "it is absolutely true that we moved forward to present legislation that, once passed, will make it no longer legal to buy, sell, transfer or import handguns anywhere in Canada."."At the same time, Bill C-5 would not stop police from charging people with gun offences or prosecutors from pursuing convictions. What it would do is make sure that criminals face serious penalties, while addressing the over representation of Black Canadians and indigenous people in the criminal justice system.".Bergen then told parliament that she is frustrated with what the Liberals are doing. ."I am a mom and I know all of us want our kids safe in their schools and in their communities. They are banning guns, and then when the criminals ignore their gun ban and use the guns to rob someone or commit a carjacking, the Liberals are letting gun criminals do their time at home," Bergen told the House of Commons..She then asked how can the prime minister claim to be keeping people safe when he refuses to have jail time for violent criminals who ignore his useless gun bans and are hurting and terrorizing our children?."Our criminal justice reform legislation turns the page on failed Conservative policies that ignored systemic racism and discrimination," Trudeau said."What our communities need is a justice system that punishes criminals. What we do not need is a system that targets racialized people because of systemic discrimination or sends people to prison because they struggle with addiction. This bill is another step forward to create a system that is fair and effective and keeps Canadians safe.".Conservative MP Raquel Dancho (Kildonan—St. Paul) then told parliament the fact is that violent gun crime has only gone up under the prime minister.."Actually, it has gone up significantly since he has formed office, and the data proves this," Dancho told the Speaker of the House. "He has failed to keep Canadians safe from gun violence in cities such as Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Winnipeg. At the same time, he has been weak on violent crime and soft on criminals by allowing them to avoid jail time with bills like Bill C-5.".Dancho then asked when will the prime minister drop his failed approach, stop putting our communities at risk and go after dangerous criminals with guns?."On this side of the House, over the past seven years, we have continually moved forward on strengthening gun control in this country," Trudeau said. "That is exactly what we announced, making it no longer legal, as of the passage of that legislation, to buy, sell, import or transfer handguns in Canada. On top of that, the assault weapon ban that we brought in place two years ago is going to be matched with a mandatory buyback. These are measures that are going to keep our communities safe, measures the Conservatives have voted against because they are against gun control." Dancho then accused the prime minister of misleading Canadians. "The prime minister is misleading Canadians," Dancho said. "Bill C-5 and the other measures by the Liberal government are failing to keep our communities safe. They are putting them at risk. If they wanted to stop gun violence, they would put more resources to border agents to stop gun smuggling. They would put more resources to police to stop violent criminals with guns. They would put more resources to anti-gang community groups to divert youth from a life of crime."
