Report from Parliament's Hill - September 24th, 2010
By Prince George - Peace River M.P. Jay Hill
One vote. One MP. 15 years. A couple of billion dollars. Definitely far from priceless.
It was a blow to those of us who have been working since 1995 to bring down the wasteful and ineffective long-gun registry when Conservative MP Candice Hoeppner’s private members’ bill to finally put it out of its worthless existence was defeated in the House of Commons this week by a vote of 153-151. A tie would have kept the legislation alive.
Yet in the end, the biggest blow was to the image of all politicians because a dozen or so opposition MPs decided – some forced by partisan coercion – to vote against their principles. Some of those MPs, regardless of political affiliation, I have known for years as good, solid elected representatives.
As much as I am disappointed that the registry will continue on, for now, to waste tax dollars under the deceitful claim of an “essential life-saving tool”, I feel for those MPs whose leaders turned what was supposed to be a free vote on private members legislation into an untenable choice.
Michael Ignatieff’s official spokesperson told the National Post that, “Candice Hoeppner thinks it's okay to get rid of the lifesaving gun registry, because in her mind, domestic violence committed with a firearm is a not a criminal activity."
The lowest moment in an already low point in Canadian democracy.
Despite the outcome, I applaud my colleague Ms. Hoeppner for her hard work in bringing the legislation, Bill C-391, this far, even in the face of personal attacks. She handled it all with class, integrity and fearless determination.
I applaud Calgary Police Chief Rick Hanson for having the guts to put himself on national TV, eschewing the more politically-safe stance taken by many of his counterparts in other cities, to make a direct appeal to Canadians on why the long-gun registry should end.
Chief Hanson stood in front of a cache of guns seized on the streets of his city from the hands of criminals that the gun registry will never address.
I applaud the Globe and Mail, the National Post and the Sun newspapers, among other media outlets, for digging beneath the layer of deception and misinformation to report the truth.
The Globe put a bullet in claims by proponents of the registry that its annual cost is just $4-million, saying it sounded suspiciously like the “Big Lie” 15 years ago that the whole scheme would cost just $2-million.
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Posted by: seamutt on September 24 2010 8:43 AM
The lowest moment in Canadian politics was when Harper, out of fear of loosing power, lied to Canadians that loosing a confidence vote in parliament by the liberal/ndp/quebeqois alliance was treason.
The lowest moment in Canadian politics was when Harper ordered his government scientists to dummy up about global warming and the environmental impacts of the tar sands.
The lowest moment in Canadian politics was when Harper spent 2 billion dollars on an 8 day conference that could have been done over the damn internets.
So, we live in a democracy, right?
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/canada/breakingnews/rcmp-report-supporting-gun-registry-had-little-impact-on-opinion-poll-103457704.html
OTTAWA - A new poll suggests an RCMP report that supported the long-gun registry had little impact on public opinion.
The Canadian Press Harris-Decima survey says that both before and after the release of the report, about 52 per cent of respondents said the registry does some good and should be kept.
Supporters tend to be people living east of Manitoba, although support has crept up to 50 per cent in British Columbia.
Oddly, 48 per cent of respondents said they don't believe that the registry has reduced gun crime.
The poll suggested a majority of Liberals, New Democrats and Bloc supporters support keeping the registry, with a majority of Tory supporters favouring abolition.
The survey, part of an omnibus telephone poll, was conducted Sept. 16-19 and is considered accurate to within plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
Most Canadians want the registry. Deal with it.
Right now I have 7 rifles. 3 registered and I guess I'll register the other 4 now. It's free. And here's why.
The american attitude towards firearms, and the one perpetrated by media, has resulted in a murder rate in the United States that is higher than France, Germany, Britain and Canada put together. It is, quite frankly, the reason I don't live there. There are more private, armed security guards employed in the US than police. Quite a polarized and fearfull society. Some conservatives want that fear here.
In my mind, why are we different is not as important as how do we keep that difference? How do Canadians, in spite of pressure from many sides, retain the politeness and concern for others that distinguishes us world wide? How do we keep our society from becoming the fearful, angry society that exists just south of us?
Gun crime is mostly committed by gang-banger types, quite often recent immigrants, with guns usually from south of the border. Agreed. The registry will do nothing to stop this supply.
Where the long gun registry does some good is most likely in reminding Canadians that we take guns, and crime with guns, seriously. I agree that we should add 8 years to the sentence of anyone committing a crime with a gun. But I don't have a problem with registering my guns. If, as the some are alleging, spousal murder is most often committed with long guns over handguns (yes, I know knives probably kill more, but registering knives is just plain silly) , then I don't have a problem with the cops taking away my guns till I cool down if I'm stupid enough to be a hot-head.
Yes, there is a burden placed on rural locations, but most of the hunters in the woods right now are from the lower mainland, we all know that. So I don't think its an unfair burden. And if it discourages casual gun ownership, great. You shouldn't own a gun casually, just like you shouldn't own a dangerous dog casually.
So, I want my children to grow up knowing Canadians take guns seriously. If enough of our kids do, then we will hopefully stop the demand. That is what the long gun registry has the greatest potential to do.
Remember, we aren't American, and have valued the presence of law, order and good government much higher than those south of us. We didn't have a 'wild west'. I don't want one. Those who are adamantly against the registry are probably individualists who have enough confidence in themselves that they wouldn't mind one.
Yes, the government didn't get the registry quite right. But they didn't get it wrong either. Harper is against making the registry better, simply to play us against one another.
And quit letting Harper play us for fools by distracting you from what's really important – remember the HST was his damn idea – Campbell just plays along.