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Imperfect but comprehensive gun control legislation will save lives: Canadian Doctors for Protection from Guns reacts to draft law
Toronto, February 16, 2021 – Canadian Doctors for Protection from Guns (CDPG) is welcoming the introduction of new gun control legislation by Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair as important progress on a significant issue of public health. While the draft law leaves much work still to be done, the more than a dozen elements dealing with the many different aspects of gun violence make it worthy of CDPG’s support.
“This is a comprehensive bill that, if enacted, will save lives,” said Dr. Najma Ahmed, co-Chair of CDPG and trauma surgeon at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto. "In particular, there are several less high-profile measures that mark important progress in the effort to change the culture on guns in Canada."
In addition to enshrining the historic May 1st Order-in-Council ban of more than 1,500 types of assault weapons, the bill includes new measures to discourage the proliferation of handguns, disarm hate, restrict magazine capacity, strengthen storage requirements, prevent the glorification of guns in advertising, and confront gun smuggling and straw purchasing.
“We are particularly pleased with the action taken on non-powder firearms (BB and pellet guns), a gateway gun that is a cause of injury in children,” said Dr. Kirstin Weerdenburg, CDPG executive member and Pediatric Emergency Physician at the IWK Health in Halifax.
CDPG remains concerned that the government has opted for a voluntary, rather than compulsory buyback program with regards to the assault weapons ban and that it has not pursued a national handgun ban as recommended by multiple stakeholders. The Committee process will afford an opportunity for further consideration. Additional details on the proposed “red flag” law are required, as the rapid removal of guns from people deemed a risk to themselves or others is a stated goal of the government and one CDPG shares.
"Doctors and other health care workers are close witnesses to the damage guns do – physically and psychologically - to their patients,” said Dr. Paola Fata, CDPG member and Director, Division of General Surgery, McGill University Health Center in Montreal. “The evidence is clear: restricting access to these weapons will reduce injury and death.”
Since forming nearly two years ago to the day, CDPG has urged policy makers to recognize the complexities of gun violence: 75% of gun deaths are suicide and guns are the most common reported means of killing women and girls. The organization has called for a comprehensive public policy approach, including addressing social determinants of gun violence such as poverty and racism.
“This is imperfect legislation but a very Canadian approach to addressing a complex issue," said Dr. Philip Berger, Senior Advisor to CDPG and an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto. "To make the further changes still necessary, the 80% of Canadians who support gun control need political parties other than the Liberals to step up and be accountable."
CDPG looks forward to ongoing dialogue with this and successive governments to make Canadians safer from gun violence.
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About Canadian Doctors for Protection from Guns
Canadian Doctors for Protection from Guns (CDPG) is a grassroots organization concerned about the increasing public health impact of firearms. We represent physicians working in collaboration with nurses, paramedics, rehabilitation specialists, psychologists, researchers and other front-line health care professionals. We have all witnessed first-hand the emotional and physical trauma and devastation caused by guns. CDPG calls for a comprehensive public policy response to this crisis in our communities, including preventative tools to reduce gun use and their consequences on youth violence, domestic abuse, and suicide.
For more information, please contact:
Christopher Holcroft
Empower Consulting
For CDPG
416-996-0767
christopherholcroft@hotmail.ca
February 12, 2021
Canadian Doctors for Protection from Guns statement on the recent shootings of teenage girls in Toronto and Montreal
Members of Canadian Doctors for Protection from Guns share in the sorrow over the shooting of two teenage girls, a 15-year-old Montreal girl shot and killed in a vehicle, and a 14-year-old girl shot last night in her apartment in Toronto and in critical condition. We extend our sympathies.
Our communities must be safe – especially for our children. These latest examples – and they are only the latest – of gun violence involving children must be a wake-up call to all Canadians. As physicians, we see these tragedies up close. It is devastating for everyone involved. No doctor wants to have to take a parent into the “quiet room” to explain to them their child has not survived the brutality of a bullet. No doctor wants to meet another parent who will never be themselves again because we as a society have failed their child.
We cannot become immune to the headlines; we cannot let gun violence become the common occurrence it has been in the United States. These are shocking and unacceptable acts of gun violence that demand swift, comprehensive action from our political leaders at all levels of government and in all political parties. A multi-pronged approach that includes addressing the social determinants of health – poverty, racism, and education, among others, will save lives. We also know – the evidence is clear – that restricting access to guns and reducing their proliferation will save lives. No serious approach to addressing gun violence in Canada can ignore this.
Health workers try to heal the injured. Policy makers must do more to prevent these injuries. It is the least we must do for our children.
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About Canadian Doctors for Protection from Guns
Canadian Doctors for Protection from Guns (CDPG) is a grassroots organization concerned about the increasing public health impact of firearms. We represent physicians working in collaboration with nurses, paramedics, rehabilitation specialists, psychologists, researchers and other front-line health care professionals. We have all witnessed first-hand the emotional and physical trauma and devastation caused by guns. CDPG calls for a comprehensive public policy response to this crisis in our communities, including preventative tools to reduce gun use and their consequences on youth violence, domestic abuse, and suicide.
For more information, please contact:
Christopher Holcroft
Empower Consulting
For CDPG
416-996-0767
christopherholcroft@hotmail.ca
January 29, 2020
Canadian Doctors for Protection from Guns statement on fourth anniversary of Islamic Cultural Centre mass shooting
Justin Trudeau and Bill Blair urged to take action on guns and hate
As Canadians mark the sombre fourth anniversary of the mass shooting at the Islamic Cultural Centre of Quebec City, Canadian Doctors for Protection from Guns (CDPG) expresses solidarity with the affected families, the Muslim community, all Quebecers and Canadians. We continue to mourn the horrible loss of life and are saddened by the unthinkable trauma faced by survivors and the families of the victims.
As we were tragically reminded that day, the combination of hate and guns is a toxic mix – and continues to be a threat to the public health and well-being of Canadians. The recent political violence in the United States underscores the scope of the threat. It is incumbent on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair to act with urgency. Words are not enough, action is needed.
The federal government’s decision to ban assault weapons was a wise, preventative measure. Discussions on placing a rising number of extremist groups on Canada’s terror list are welcome too. Still, Canada must do more. The gun used to murder six people and injure five others was a legally registered handgun. Also used were multiple large capacity magazines. The government should move swiftly on a national ban on both.
Measures to restrict access to handguns as a means of reducing gun injury and death are supported by medical research. Handgun bans also have wide support among Canadians according to regular opinion polls. Experts including the Canadian Anti-Hate Network have detailed the ongoing risks to society if governments fail to stop hate and strengthen gun control. Indeed, the tragedy at the Islamic Cultural Centre is not an isolated event in Canada; gun violence motivated by hate resulted in the two worst mass shootings in our country’s history – École Polytechnique and Portapique. We urge the government to move forward with a mandatory buy-back program for assault weapons and to an evidence-informed red flag law.
With Parliament back in session, renewed attention is on evidence-based decision-making and the need to take bold, comprehensive action to foster safe and inclusive communities. We urge the federal government to act now on behalf of Canadians.
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About Canadian Doctors for Protection from Guns
Canadian Doctors for Protection from Guns (CDPG) is a grassroots organization concerned about the increasing public health impact of firearms. We represent physicians working in collaboration with nurses, paramedics, rehabilitation specialists, psychologists, researchers and other front-line health care professionals. We have all witnessed first-hand the emotional and physical trauma and devastation caused by guns. CDPG calls for a comprehensive public policy response to this crisis in our communities, including preventative tools to reduce gun use and their consequences on youth violence, domestic abuse, and suicide.
For more information, please contact:
Christopher Holcroft
Empower Consulting
For CDPG
416-996-0767
christopherholcroft@hotmail.ca
December 3, 2020
The Honourable Maryam Monsef, Minister for Women and Gender Equality
maryam.monsef@parl.gc.ca
Dear Minister Monsef,
With Canada set to mark the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women December 6th – an event created to recognize the victims of the École Polytechnique mass shooting – I am writing to urge you and your government to take action on stronger gun laws.
As we know, gun violence prevention is a gender issue. Consider the following: the Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability notes that in 2019, guns were the most common reported means of the killing of women and girls; and the Office of the Federal Ombudsman for Victims of Crime has specifically urged policy makers to take into consideration the link between firearms and gender-based violence.
A wide body of scientific evidence has underlined the risks guns pose to women, leading the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada to recommend that, “when there is concern regarding intimate partner violence or family violence, the presence of a firearm in the home must be determined and, if present, should be considered a risk factor for homicide of a family member.”
I am pleased that your government introduced a ban on assault weapons. Still, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to put women and girls at particular risk of violence. I encourage you in your role as Minister for Women and Gender Equality to support further actions to prevent gun violence, including:
• A ban on handguns and large capacity magazines
• A meaningful red flag law to remove guns from people who are at risk of violence
• Stricter policies on gun storage
• Changes in advertising rules to incorporate public education
• Assistance for organizations providing gender-based violence supports and services
I invite you to view more evidence and listen to moving stories from women who have been directly affected by gun violence on a new educational video from Canadian Doctors for Protection from Guns.
Minister Monsef, now is the time to act to make women and girls safer from guns. Please help lead the fight for change.
Sincerely,
Najma Ahmed MD, FRCS
Philip B. Berger MD, CCFP
Julie Maggi MD, FRCP
Lynn Wilson MD, CCFP
Co-founders, Canadian Doctors for Protection from Guns
CC: The Honourable Bill Blair
October 20, 2020
Canadian Doctors for Protection from Guns announce new 4-year scholarship opportunity with mentorship for a young person affected by gun violence
Announcement part of National Day of Action call for federal government to invest in social determinants and implement a national ban on handguns
Toronto, October 20, 2020 – Canadian Doctors for Protection from Guns (CDPG) announced a new scholarship for a young person affected by gun violence as part of its National Day of Action today. The 4-year scholarship provides $2,000 per year plus access to mentorship from some of the physicians, academics, and advocates with CDPG. The scholarship will be provided to a student of planning to attend a Canadian post-secondary institution in the fall of 2021.
“Offering opportunities for youth is a necessity to building a safe and just society,” said Dr. Najma Ahmed, trauma surgeon and co-founder, CDPG. We are proud to be presenting this scholarship, as well as a renewed advocacy push for governments to address social determinants that put young people at greater risk of gun violence.
The scholarship recipient may be someone who has been a victim of gun injury, or has had a family member injured or killed, or had a person close to them who was one of the many hundreds of Canadians who die by gun suicide each year. Details on the application process will be announced soon.
Concerned about the epidemic of gun violence in Canada and the added risks created by the COVID-19 pandemic, CDPG is holding its 2nd National Day of Action today. The centerpiece of the virtual event is a one-hour video featuring the latest Canadian and international research on gun violence prevention, powerful stories from survivors and families of victims along with health workers on the frontlines treating the injured, and inspiring calls to implement detailed policy proposals.
“There is clear medical research linking the presence of guns to heightened threats of femicide, suicide, and other forms of violence,” said Dr. Julie Maggi, psychiatrist and co-Chair, CDPG. “Conversely, measures to restrict access to guns can save lives. Yet gun restrictions must be one part of a comprehensive, preventative public health approach based on evidence. The federal government needs to move forward with a handgun ban that is national, implement a meaningful red flag law, and invest in social determinants such as poverty reduction and anti-racism measures.”
More details on the video and where to watch is available on our website at www.doctorsforprotectionfromguns.ca.
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For more information or to arrange an interview please contact:
Christopher Holcroft
Empower Consulting, for Canadian Doctors for Protection from Guns
416-996-0767/ christopherholcroft@hotmail.ca
