Ignatieff, the long-gun registry and whipping the vote

Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff has the long-gun registry back in his sights.

Last November, Conservative MP Candice Hoeppner's bill to abolish the registry passed second reading with the help of eight rural Liberal MPs, 12 New Democrats and one Independent.

Despite the NDP's official stance in favour of gun control, the defeat was all the more humiliating for Liberals. After all, the previous Liberal government brought in the controversial legislation. And many party members quietly say that supporting the registry (along with supporting a full range of contraceptive options for women...but that's another story) is one of those unwritten rules of being a Liberal.

So this time around, despite the normal practice of allowing MPs to vote according to their conscience on private member's bills, Ignatieff says the vote will be whipped:

"This is not a private member's bill. This is a government bill that doesn't have the courage to say it's a government bill."

And just how will the Liberal leader guarantee his MPs get in line this time, and don't all suddenly come down with the stomach flu minutes before the vote? Well, for the last few months, Liberals have been working behind the scenes on a compromise to address many of the concerns rural MPs have expressed about the registry. Yesterday, in a speech to the Canadian Police Association, Ignatieff says a Liberal government would make it easier and cost-free to register a weapon. Ignatieff pegs the cost of permanently eliminating fees for licenses, renewals and upgrades at a cost of around at an annual cost of around $15 million.

And as for people who don't register their weapons, Ignatieff says on that first-time failure to comply, people would get a ticket instead of being charged criminally:

"If we want and need people to register their firearms. We should not be creating unnecessary obstacles. We shouldn't be treating them as criminals. We shouldn't be harassing them. We should make this easy."

Among those Liberal MPs who voted with the government last fall are Anthony Rota and Wayne Easter. They say Ignatieff's proposals are good ones and that they intend to vote with their party on the third and final gun registry vote, which could be held as early as June.

But it's unclear if all eight will follow orders. Yesterday afternoon, Newfoundland MP Scott Simms refused to say how he plans to vote. So, guessing that perhaps six Liberals will change their votes, that means four New Democrats would have to follow suit in order for the opposition to defeat Hoeppner's bill. Joe Comartin is the NDP's justice critic,

"It's still the position that this is a private member's bill, that we as a party do not whip private member's bills. And that's still the position of the leader and the caucus at this time."

On the committee side of things, Comartin says the NDP has several ideas on how to amend the bill when hearings start in early May. Comartin says New Democrats would also like to streamline and decriminalize some aspects of the registry. Although, unlike the Liberals, the NDP would not allow a blanket pardon on all first-time offenses and Comartin says the fees should stay,

"Much as we pay to register our dog and register our car, we should be paying to register our guns. Not as a profit-making for the government but simply to compensate the government for the cost of the system."

As for those who've been wondering whether the Conservatives would re-introduce its own "official" government long-gun registry bill in the Senate, the answer is no. A spokesman for the Prime Minister's Office says:

"The government's focus is on Ms. Hoeppner's bill, which has been approved in principle and has the support of a clear majority of the House."