Hon. Julie Miville-Dechêne: Senator Gold, two years ago, the government banned 1,500 different models of assault-style weapons in Canada. It was a good measure. Not surprisingly, gun manufacturers have already started to circumvent the rules. The group PolyRemembers recently exposed several manufacturers who are selling new assault-style weapons in Canada, which are often easily modifiable to increase magazine capacity but are exempt from restrictions.

In 2019, New Zealand resolved this issue by banning semi-automatic centre-fire rifles and shotguns. In 2020, former public safety minister Bill Blair said he intended to address regulatory gaps to prevent this circumvention.

Will the government act soon to close these loopholes in its assault weapons regulations?