Yes, the Conservatives do want to repeal the ban on assault weapons in Canada

Last night during the French-language debate, Erin O’Toole denied numerous times that the Conservatives plan to repeal the Liberals’ ban on assault weapons in Canada. The gun control legislation in question banned 1,500 types of firearms in Canada.

Following the debate, the Liberals posted a screenshot via their Twitter account of the very section in the Conservative platform where it clearly states their plan to repeal C-71 and the May 2020 Order in Council. (They confirmed that the section in question appears on page 96, and not on page 90 as Justin Trudeau stated during the debate.)

Oups, c'est vrai M. O'Toole … c'est plutôt à la page 96 que vous proposez d'abolir l'interdiction des armes d'assaut que nous avons adoptée en 2020. #AvançonsEnsemble #FaceaFaceTVA #PolCan @JustinTrudeau pic.twitter.com/56YcfwVKLU

— Parti libéral (@parti_liberal) September 3, 2021

The English version of the text in question reads as follows:

“We will start by repealing C-71 and the May 2020 Order in Council and conducting a review of the Firearms Act with participation by law-enforcement, firearms owners, manufacturers and members of the public. We will then update legislation by introducing a simplified classification system and codifying it in law so that it is clear what types of firearms fit into each category and classification decisions can be made quickly, and with the public and firearms owners having confidence that they are not arbitrary. The legislation will also — for the first time — contain definitions of currently ambiguous terms like ‘variant.’”

Candidate for the Liberal Party in Outremont Rachel Bendayan also commented with the same screenshot, criticizing Erin O’Toole for his lack of honesty during the debate.

“Outrageous that the Conservative Party of Canada wants to repeal our ban on assault weapons. Even more outrageous that O’Toole attempted to deny it in a national debate when it’s here in black and white in the Conservative platform.”

—Rachel Bendayan

Outrageous that the @CPC_HQ want to repeal our ban on assault weapons.

Even more outrageous that O’Toole attempted to deny it in a national debate when it’s here in black and white in the Conservative platform. #Elxn44 #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/NOoBoBbsI9

— Rachel Bendayan (@RachelBendayan) September 3, 2021

---

For the latest in news, please visit the News section.