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in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, Ju ne 21 ,2 01 8 | 8 The Oakville Beaver, published every Thursday, is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. The Metroland family of newspapers is comprised of more than 80 community publications across Ontario. The Oakville Beaver is a member of the National NewsMedia Council. Complainants are urged to bring their concerns to the attention of the newspaper and, if not satisfied, write The National NewsMedia Council, Suite 200, 890 Yonge St., Toronto, ON M4W 2H2. Phone: 416-340-1981 Web: www.mediacouncil.ca editor@oakvillebeaver.com facebook.com/OakvilleBeav @OakvilleBeaver ABOUT US Oakville Beaver 901 Guelph Line Burlington, ON L7R 3N8 Phone: 289-293-0617 Classifieds: 1-800-263-6480 Digital/Flyer/Retail: 289-293-0624 Letters to the editor All letters must be fewer than 200 words and include your name and telephone number for verification purposes. 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CONTACT US VP, Regional Publisher Kelly Montague kmontague@metroland.com | 289-293-0614 Director Advertising Daniel Baird dbaird@metroland.com | 289-293-0624 Regional Managing Editor Catherine O'Hara cohara@metroland.com | 289-293-0615 Regional Manager Digital Content Karen Miceli Director of Distribution Charlene Hall Circulation Manager Kim Mossman kmossman@metroland.com | 905-631-6095 Director of Production Mark Dills Regional Production Manager Manny Garcia WHO WE ARE OPINION • EDITORIAL • As a member of the Standing Committee on Pub- lic Safety and National Secu- rity, I was proud to success- fully propose an amendmentfully propose an amendmentf to 'Bill C-71, An Act to amend certain Acts and Regula- tions in relation to firearms', a bill that fulfills our govern- ment's election promise to take pragmatic action to make it harder for criminals to get - and use - handguns and assault weapons. My amendment will ensure that a person's history of perpe- trating domestic violence, mental health issues and on- line behavior will be consid- ered when seeking a fire- arms license. My amendment will see Bill C-71 enhance back- ground checks to include in- cidents of intimate partner violence, suicide attempts and take into account an ap- plicant's public online be- havior. Gun regulations are not all about gangs and guns. In fact, 26 per cent of domesticfact, 26 per cent of domesticf violence deaths in Ontario are by gun. Seventy-five per cent of gun deaths in Canada are death by suicide. Bill C-71 prioritizes public safety and effective police work, while treating law-abiding fire- arms owners and businesses fairly and reasonably. fairly and reasonably. f While Canada is one of the safest countries in the world, gun crime is increas- ing. Bill C-71 takes concrete steps to make our country less vulnerable to gun vio- lence, including domestic vi- olence. Firearms continue to be implicated in spousal ho- micides and murder-sui- cides. It is important to en- sure domestic violence risk factors, such as a history offactors, such as a history off past violence towards the victim, are identified prior to licensing someone to buy a gun, as well any incidences of online hate and misogyny. Cases of intimate-partner and gender-based violence involving firearms in Cana- da are up by one-third. My amendment expands the li- censing criteria for appli- cants so that a person is inel- igible to hold a firearms li- cense if he or she has a histo- ry of behaviour that includes violence, attempted violence or threatening conduct. It would also refuse a license to an applicant who has a re- straining order held against them or for any other rea- son, poses a risk of harm to any person or themselves. The amendment also in- cludes threatened violence and threatening conduct posted on online forums and social media platforms. These are significant amendments and ones that I am extremely proud to have brought forward. - Pam Damoff is the mem- ber of parliament for Oak- ville-North Burlington. Bill C-71 amendment fulfills election promise Now more difficult for criminals to get, use handguns, assault weapons, says Damoff GOALLLL!!! Canada scored a huge one last week when it was named one of three co-hosts for soccer's 2026 World Cup. The decision by soccer's international governing body, FIFA, was a fantastic win for the world's most popular sport and for Canada, which will welcome jubi- lant fans from every corner of the Earth for Canadian soccer and, to top it all off, for North American unity. The future of the North American Free Trade Agree- ment between Canada, the United States and Mexico may be up in the air. What a great example can be set between now and 2026 as these three neighbours plan and work together to jointly host the World Cup. On an occasion like this, soccer could be more than a game; it could be a conti- nental matchmaker. Ignore the naysayers who complain about the loom- ing costs to Canadian taxpayers, about FIFA's check- ered past or about the other worthy causes that could better use the money that will instead be spent on grown men kicking a ball around a field for 90 minutes at a time. Because Canada will likely host just 10 of the tourna- ment's 80 games and because those games would be played in cities such as Toronto and Montreal where there are already suitable stadiums, the costs can be kept in line and will be small change compared to the billions we spent on the 2010 Winter Olympics. Meanwhile, international soccer fans will pour into Canada - and pour out the contents of their wallets here. It is unnecessary to defend FIFA's past, and the cor- ruption that has tainted it, to believe it made the right choice of World Cup hosts this time around. Whatever dubious baggage it sometimes carries, the World Cup is, once every four years, the planet's biggest party. It's a combination of a month-long family reunion, wedding reception and Christmas. A feel-good occasion like this, in a troubled world like ours, is priceless. After the Summer Olympics, the World Cup is the planet's second biggest sporting event. But for millions, possibly billions of people, it is the most beloved. This year's World Cup, which began in Russia last Thursday, will show why. Rightly known as "the beautiful game," soccer offers sublime athleticism, the pure simplicity of players run- ning their hearts out after a ball, as much drama and heroism as a Shakespearean play and as much brilliant strategy as a grandmasters' chess tournament. Yet Canada, which boasts 835,000 registered soccer players, is conspicuously absent from this World Cup and never a serious contender in the men's game. Our women's team, by comparison, is very good. We can do better. Canada has eight years to improve its soccer program and reap a harvest of athletic glory, just like we have at Olympic podiums. Three cheers for North America's World Cup coup PAM DAMOFF Column