Trudeau Liberals target law-abiding gun owners with more gun control while repealing mandatory minimums for gun-related crimes

The Liberals say that such laws unfairly target black and Indigenous people, and that judges should make greater use of conditional sentencing.

The mandatory minimums were originally introduced under the government of Stephen Harper, but the Liberals are arguing that such policies perpetuate systemic racism.

The Liberals are not doing away with the majority of the mandatory minimums, however. Of the 67 mandatory minimum sentencing offences which exist, only 14 are seeing the sentencing requirements removed.

Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller argued in favour of doing away with such mandatory minimums, arguing that the government must take a more "holistic" approach to crime.

The move raises questions about the Trudeau government's calls for measures to reduce gun violence. The Trudeau government has sought to implement stricter gun control laws as a method of tackling gun violence.

Critics of such gun control measures have argued that the laws only attack law-abiding gun owners while doing little to prevent gang violence and gun smuggling from the United States.

Relaxing sentencing rules for gun crimes sends mixed signals about the government's approach to gun control.

The Liberals also seek to reduce criminal sentences against those found guilty of simple drug possession, instead advocating measures such as rehabilitation. The government has entirely rejected decriminalizing hard drugs, however.