Bill C-71 · 42th Parliament · Justin Trudeau
An Act to amend certain Acts and Regulations in relation to firearms
Government bill. Became law.
- IntroducedMarch 20, 2018
- Debated in principleMarch 28, 2018
- Studied by a committeeDone
- Passed its first chamberSept. 24, 2018
- Passed the second chamberMay 27, 2019
- Became lawJune 20, 2019
Leading supporters
Ranked by the part each played: who is responsible for the bill, who carried it, and who spoke for it most.
- Justin TrudeauPrime Minister
Who carries this bill
Arrows run from the person responsible to those who answer to them on this bill. The critic leads the Senate’s scrutiny and answers to no one on it.
What it set out to do
On 20 March 2018, the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness introduced Bill C-71, An Act to amend certain Acts and Regulations in relation to firearms, in the House of Commons and it was given first reading. Part 1 of this Act amends the Firearms Act to, among other things, (a) remove the reference to the five-year period, set out in subsection 5(2) of that Act, that applies to the mandatory consideration of certain eligibility criteria for holding a licence; (b) require, when a non-restricted firearm is transferred, that the transferee’s firearms licence be verified by the Registrar of Firearms and that businesses keep certain information related to the transfer; and (c) remove certain automatic authorizations to transport prohibited and restricted firearms. Part 1 also amends the Criminal Code to repeal the authority of the Governor in Council to prescribe by regulation that a prohibited or restricted firearm be a non-restricted firearm or that a prohibited firearm be a restricted firearm and, in consequence, the Part (a) repeals certain provisions of regulations made under the Criminal Code; and (b) amends the Firearms Act to grandfather certain individuals and fi…
Summary by the Library of Parliament.
Where members stand
Votes and debate for this bill have not been read yet.
How it changed on the way
42% of the text as introduced was changed or removed by the time it became law (6,717 words introduced, 4,756 passed). A committee amended it.
substantial changeintent broadened
The bill added new eligibility criteria for licences, a registration ban on non-restricted firearms, expanded transfer rules, and coming-into-force clauses. Forty-two percent of the introduced text was altered or replaced during passage.
- Added explicit bar on registering non-restricted firearms.
After: “For greater certainty (4) For greater certainty, nothing in this Act shall be construed so as to permit or require the registration of non-restricted firearms.”
- Expanded licence-eligibility criteria beyond the original five-year test.
Before: “(2) In determining whether a person is eligible to hold a licence under subsection (1), a chief firearms officer or, on a reference under section 74, a provincial court judge shall have regard to whether the person, within the previous five years,”
After: “(2) In determining whether a person is eligible to hold a licence under subsection (1), a chief firearms officer or, on a reference under section 74 , a provincial court judge shall have regard to whether the person”
- Allowed transfer of one or more non-restricted firearms instead of a single firearm.
Before: “23 A person may transfer a non-restricted firearm if, at the time of the transfer,”
After: “23 (1) A person may transfer one or more non-restricted firearms if, at the time of the transfer,”
How precisely it is written
vagueChallenging the law: EasyDisputing a charge: Easy
The bill mixes narrow lists of specific firearm models and fixed dates with broad subjective tests for licence eligibility. Those tests turn on undefined notions of risk, history and harm that invite argument rather than quick application.
Open to argument
“has a history of behaviour that includes violence or threatened or attempted violence or threatening conduct”
Uses an open-ended, retrospective and subjective standard without defined time limits or objective markers.“for any other reason, poses a risk of harm to any person”
Catch-all clause relies on an undefined 'risk of harm' assessed by officials rather than an objective test.“presently poses a threat or risk to the safety and security of any person”
Subjective forward-looking judgment with no statutory definition or evidentiary threshold.
Clear-cut
“Ceská Zbrojovka (CZ) Model CZ858 Tactical-2P rifle”
Names exact models and variants, leaving no room for interpretation.“June 30, 2018”
Fixes a single calendar date as the eligibility reference point.“subsection 12(9), (11) or (14)”
Cross-references specific numbered subsections rather than open-ended categories.
Discretion. Commencement dates, prescribed classes of firearms and many details of grandfathering are left to the Governor in Council or regulations.
Challenging the law itself. The open-ended risk and history criteria are vulnerable to vagueness and overbreadth arguments under section 7 of the Charter.
Disputing a charge under it. An accused can readily dispute whether past conduct meets the undefined 'history of behaviour' or 'risk of harm' thresholds.
Read by a language model from the royal assent text; every quoted phrase appears in the bill. A reading of the drafting, not legal advice.
Did it work?
no evaluation found
No statutory reviews, Auditor General or Parliamentary Budget Officer reports, departmental evaluations, court rulings assessing its effects, or peer-reviewed studies on Bill C-71's outcomes were identified in official Canadian government sources. Some provisions entered into force in 2021 with others pending as of 2022, indicating implementation remains incomplete.
- Public Safety Canada briefing notereviewAs of December 2021, expanded background checks and transport limits were in force since July 2021, but licence verification and other elements required further regulations expected no earlier than June 2022.
- Canada Gazette Order in CouncilreviewThe Order brought into force enhanced background checks and transport safeguards on July 7, 2021, to strengthen firearms laws, with no assessment of subsequent impacts provided.
- Library of Parliament legislative summaryreviewDetails the bill's provisions and parliamentary process through 2019 but contains no post-enactment evaluation of effectiveness.
Who lobbied on it
No lobbying registration naming this bill is loaded.
Stages and dates from LEGISinfo.