Change weather location CBC Global Header NavigationCBC.ca News news drop down menu Sports sports drop down menu Radio radio drop down menu TV tv drop down menu My Region drop down menu More drop down menu Watch Watch drop down menu Listen Listen drop down menu Search CBC.
Tories urged to widen scope of gun registry bill Calling it a "defining moment" for their government, Conservative MPs promoted their bill to abolish the long-gun registry and destroy all its records on Tuesday after it was introduced in the House of Commons.
Public Safety Minister Vic Toews, the sponsor of the bill, called it a proud moment for his party and the culmination of years of work to scrap the registry, which the Tories say has been a waste of money and resources.
Tory MP Candice Hoeppner, whose private member's bill to eliminate the registry came close to passing in the last Parliament, was among the MPs at the event.
She said the requirement for owners of rifles, shotguns and other long guns to register their firearms has unfairly targeted law-abiding citizens instead of criminals and burdened them with red tape.
Hoeppner said the registry has cost nearly $2 billion since it was created in 1995 and that that money should have been spent cracking down on real criminals, not farmers and hunters.
"The long-gun registry is not gun control, and because of that it is an ineffective and a waste of taxpayers hard-earned dollars," she said.
The registry is not a valuable tool to reduce gun crime, the Manitoba MP said, adding the majority of homicides are not committed with long guns. Hoeppner acknowledged crimes have been committed with long guns, but said those crimes happened despite the registry.
The government says it is maintaining the strict system of controlling restricted and prohibited firearms and that police checks and safety courses are still required in order to buy a gun and ammunition, and to maintain a licence.
The Conservatives have tried several times to scrap the registry since taking power in 2006 but were never successful in a minority Parliament. They promised during the spring election to try again and now with a majority in the House of Commons and Senate they should be able to pass it with little trouble.
Abolishing the registry has been a divisive issue among Canadians, and in the House of Commons, sometimes with opposition MPs breaking from their party line and siding with the government. Opponents of it say the registry unfairly targets law-abiding gun owners and has been a waste of money while supporters say it's important for public safety and has helped save lives.
The Official Opposition quickly reacted to that provision in the bill, saying that police agencies had specifically requested that they be able to continue to consult the database.
"This is extremely disturbing," NDP MP Jack Harris told reporters. He said the Conservatives claim to be interested in public safety and are forging ahead with their omnibus crime bill, yet they are rejecting an initiative that police agencies say is vital to their work and to protecting victims.
The government has also said that it will be of no assistance to provinces that want to set up their own registries and that is also prompting criticism.
Quebec is a solid supporter of the registry, which was created in 1995, and has indicated that it is considering setting up its own registry if the federal one is abolished.
Bloc Quebecois MP Maria Mourani said it makes no sense to get rid of the data that's already been collected and that it shows that Prime Minister Stephen Harper doesn't value the opinion of Quebec.
Liberals also weighed in on the new bill, calling it an "ideological attack on facts and evidence" and objecting to the government's intention to destroy the database.
“The data collected over the last 16 years must be preserved, so that provinces can salvage this important policing tool,” interim leader Bob Rae said in a statement.
Toews stood firm on the decision to destroy the records in the database, leaving other jurisdictions on their own if they want their own registries.
"We've made it very clear we will not participate in the recreation of the long-gun registry and therefore the records that have been created under that long gun registry will be destroyed," he said Tuesday.
Toews said abolishing the registry will save millions of dollars per year, but couldn't put an exact figure on the savings. He said the long-gun registry and the registry for restricted weapons combined costs about $22 million per year to operate.
He added he doesn't expect any net job losses from shutting down the registry because employees will be offered other government jobs.
When the long-gun registry ceases to exist will depend on when the Conservatives can successfully get the bill through the House of Commons and the Senate and how long it spends at the committee stage.
Conservative MPs Candice Hoeppner, Pierre Poilievre, Maxime Bernier and Public Safety Minister Vic Toews talk about the government's bill to scrap the long-gun registry at a farm near Ottawa on Tuesday, October 25, 2011. Patrick Doyle/Canadian Press The government brought along a number of supporters to their news conference Tuesday afternoon who spoke in favour of scrapping the registry, including Michele Vardy, a recreational hunter from Georgian Bay, Ont.
"As a woman, the long gun registry does not make me feel any safer or secure," she said. Vardy said criminals don't register their guns and that the registry targets law-abiding citizens like her.
Vardy's opinion directly contradicts the one offered to CBC News by Pamela Harrison, provincial coordinator for Transition House Association of Nova Scotia, an organization that provides crisis services to women.
"The long-gun registry has made a significant difference in the safety of women in Canada since its inception in 1995. The rate of spousal homicide by gun has gone down 69 per cent and we attribute most of that to the impact of the gun registry," she said.
Sue O'Sullivan, the federal ombudsman for victims of crime, issued a statement Tuesday saying most victims groups want the registry maintained.
"Our position on this matter is clear – Canada must do all it can to prevent further tragedies from happening, including using the tools we have to help keep communities safe, like the long-gun registry," she said.
The government acknowledged the controversy around its ongoing efforts to abolish the registry but rejected the notion that it's acting based on ideology rather than facts.
"I know that this subject has been an issue of much contention and much debate over the years but I want to assure everyone that our government has carefully examined all of the sides and the evidence and I can confidently stand in front of you today and I can say that the long-gun registry has been ineffective and it has been completely wasteful," Hoeppner said.
Air Canada is withdrawing its court challenge of an arbitrator's ruling on a key pension deal that was part of a binding agreement with the union representing service workers.
The sister-in-law of one of Robert Pickton's victims says a missing-person's report she filed with Vancouver police sat in a filing drawer for years without officers taking any action on the document.
Ontario jurors saw for themselves today how the bodies of three teenage sisters and another family member looked suspended in water in a car at the bottom of a canal.
Up to 18 million tonnes of tsunami debris floating from Japan could arrive on British Columbia's shores by 2014, according to estimates by University of Hawaii scientists.
Finance Minister Jim Flaherty says he's not expecting a recession in Canada, but will be flexible on the issue of stimulus spending if conditions worsen.
The sister-in-law of one of Robert Pickton's victims says a missing-person's report she filed with Vancouver police sat in a filing drawer for years without officers taking any action on the document.
The Conservative government opened a "new chapter" in its mandate Tuesday with the tabling of its bill to eliminate the long-gun registry and destroy all of its records.
Air Canada is withdrawing its court challenge of an arbitrator's ruling on a key pension deal that was part of a binding agreement with the union representing service workers.
The passenger cabin of an Air India flight to Toronto turned into a delivery room on the weekend when a baby was born at 11,000 metres.
Rogers throttles file-sharing traffic from BitTorrent more than any other internet provider in North America and may be violating Canadian net neutrality guidelines, a U.S. researcher says.
The Conservative government has followed through on its promise to introduce a bill that will scrap the long-gun registry. Now some groups are pushing for the government to do even more.
An woman gives birth on a plane travelling from India to Canada. Lots of twists and turns to this story, including who helped the woman give birth. There are also questions over which country will now claim the child as a citizen.
Don't Miss MAP Documenting Scouts-related sex abuse cases GREG WESTON ANALYSIS: Was Quebec ships bid sunk by history of red ink? CRAFT BREWERIES Small businesses against big competition Canada's small, independent brewers have won their share of the industry IPOD AT 10 A look at how Apple's MP3 player has evolved over a decade A look at how Apple's MP3 player has evolved over a decade PROFILE New Brunswick business capitalizes on feather fad Two entrepreneurs have cornered market for feather hair extensions INFLATION Charting inflation rates across Canada The ups and downs of what you spend money on SPECIAL REPORT Small Business Week:
Stay ConnectedMobile RSS Podcasts Member Services:Newsletters & Alerts CBC LinksTerms Of Use Reuse & Permissions Advertise Privacy Site Map Contact Us CBC Radio-Canada Copyright © CBC 2011 cbc.radio-canada.ca cbc.ca radio-canada.
0 Komentar untuk "New Long-gun Registry Bill Would Destroy Records"