The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) has sent letters to Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff and NDP Leader Jack Layton urging them to appoint to the Public Safety and National Security Committee MPs who will support Ms. Candice Hoeppner’s Bill C-391 to end the wasteful long-gun registry. The CTF also is encouraging its 60,000 supporters to contact Mr. Ignatieff and Mr. Layton with the same request.
CTF Federal Director, Kevin Gaudet, said “we congratulate the leaders for having allowed a free vote in the House on this issue. We urge them to continue this fair-minded approach at committee.”
Once the House resumes sitting, the bill will be returned to the Standing Committee for Public Safety and National Security for its review. With the prorogation of Parliament all committees were dissolved and must be reconstituted.
Prior to prorogation, the committee membership consisted of six MPs (Liberal, NDP and Bloc Quebecois) who voted against Bill C-391 and six who voted for Bill C-391 (all Conservatives). However, the chair only votes if there’s a tie. This essentially gave those who opposed Bill C-391 a majority on the committee.
The CTF has been opposed to the long-gun registry since the passing of Bill C-68 by then Justice Minister Rock. Since then the CTF has brought to Parliament tens of thousands of petitions signed by those wishing to see the long-gun registry abolished. Further, the CTF sought from the Auditor General an audit of the program that revealed, amongst other things, its tremendous waste.
Support for Ms. Hoeppner’s Bill to abolish the long-gun registry came regardless of party affiliation, including MPs from the Conservative Party, 12 from the NDP and eight from the Liberal Party.
