Victim not in conflict on guns panel

OTTAWA • A federal watchdog has dismissed complaints that a mass-shooting survivor broke the rules by working with an advocacy group to lobby for gun policy changes while also serving as a member of the Liberal government’s firearms advisory committee.

In a recent decision, federal lobbying commissioner Nancy Belanger said Nathalie Provost’s work on behalf of the gun-control group PolySeSouvient did not breach lobbying laws because Provost is not paid by the group and therefore does not need to register as a lobbyist.

Provost said in an interview that she was relieved to be cleared by the commissioner, and considers the efforts against her an attempt to discredit PolySeSouvient.

“I knew that I was not a lobbyist,” she said. “I feel it’s like a strategy to shut us down.”

Belanger’s office received numerous complaints about Provost’s alleged conflict of interest after firearms advocates launched an online campaign encouraging people to write letters.

Provost, who was shot four times during the 1989 assault by a gunman at Montreal’s Ecole Polytechnique, has been involved for eight years with PolySeSouvient, which includes students and graduates of the engineering school.

In late 2016 the Liberals appointed her as a vice-chair of the 10-member federal firearms advisory committee, which advises the public safety minister on gun policies, laws and regulations. The committee is chaired by a former Supreme Court justice and counts a police chief, competitive sport shooter, emergency physician and farmer among its members.

Under the committee’s terms of reference, members are barred from engaging in lobbying activities or working as a registered lobbyist on behalf of any organization making submissions or representations to the federal government on issues relating to the mandate of the committee.

A bill introduced in March would expand the scope of background checks on those who want to acquire a gun and force gun retailers to keep records of firearms inventory and sales. The legislation would also require purchasers to present a firearms licence, while the seller would have to ensure its validity.