Quebec's long-gun registry plans in jeopardy
CBC News
Posted: Oct 26, 2011 10:06 AM ET
Last Updated: Oct 26, 2011 1:07 PM ET
The Conservative government’s plan to scrap the long-gun registry and destroy all its records will have a significant impact on Quebec’s plan to create its own registry.
Without the information from the federal registry, the government will have to start from scratch, a move that will cost a considerable amount of money.
The federal government has long maintained the registry is a waste of money that infringes on people's rights.
Public Safety Minister Vic Toews who sponsored the bill, said abolishing the registry would save millions of dollars per year.
He also said the government will be of no assistance to provinces that want to set up their own registries.
Introduced in 1995
The registry was introduced 16 years ago in response to the fatal shooting of 14 women at Montreal’s École Polytechnique.
Heidi Rathjen, who was a Polytechnique student at the time, said the government is getting rid of a law that saves lives and is moving the country in the wrong direction.
“To deprive provinces from this important public safety information is shameful.”
Quebec has been a strong supporter of the registry since its creation.
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.
"It's not a fair attitude," she said.
With a majority government, the Conservatives are expected to have no trouble getting the bill passed.
However, some registry supporters remain hopeful public pressure will change the minds of some MPs, leading to the bill's demise.
Share Tools
House of Commons Liveblog: The CP Rail back-to-work bill (#C39) by Kady O'Malley May. 29, 2012 2:46 PM Debate kicks off this afternoon at 3pm and expected to last past midnight.
Top News Headlines
- Air Canada jet with falling debris had previous mishaps
- The airplane that had its engine shut down and was forced into an emergency landing Monday in Toronto has had two previous documented cases of mechanical damage since it started flying five years ago, according to Transport Canada. more »
- Canada has higher proportion of seniors than ever before
- New census data shows Canada now has a higher proportion of seniors than ever before -- a development that has crept up on society with far-reaching implications for health, finance, policy and everyday family relationships. more »
- RIM shares drop on warning of operating loss
- Shares in Research in Motion Inc. fell eight per cent in after hours trading Tuesday after it announced it would report an operating loss at its next earnings report on June 28. more »
- Alberta couple, child found dead in Saskatchewan ditch
- A married couple and a 2-year-old boy from Airdrie, Alta., have been found dead in a ditch near St. Walburg, Sask. more »
Latest Politics News Headlines
- Fisheries Act changes questioned by former ministers
- Four former federal fisheries ministers are questioning the government's motives behind the inclusion of environmental protection changes to the Fisheries Act in the Budget Implementation Act. more »
- Robocalls may need regulating, elections chief tells MPs
- Elections Canada may recommend regulating robocalls following 1,100 complaints from the last election, the Chief Electoral Officer told MPs today. He also said the agency is reviewing voter registration rules after results in a Toronto riding were thrown out. more »
- F-35 committee probe stalled, shutting down soon?
- Opposition MPs on the public accounts committee are accusing the government of having something to hide, based on a secret Conservative motion to stop hearing witnesses on the controversial F-35 fighter jet procurement. more »
- Social media websites ignoring privacy laws, watchdog says
- Canada's privacy commissioner said today she is concerned some social media companies are disregarding privacy laws, and called for the federal government to impose stronger penalties when they are breached. more »
The National
The House
- Qc students open the door to compromise May. 28, 2012 3:37 PM This week on The House, Evan Solomon explores the ongoing student protests in Quebec. The conflict that began as a disagreement between certain student associations and the provincial government over tuition hikes seems to have morphed into something larger. Evan talks to Leo Bureau-Blouin, the president of Quebec's College Student Federation, about the ongoing dispute. Then, Quebec's Finance Minister Raymond Bachand talks about what it will take to resolve the conflict, and if an election is the only solution.
- Possible human foot sent to Conservative Party HQ
- Richard Branson suggests naked kitesurfing to premier
- 'Engine shutdown' forced Air Canada jet to land
- Evolution skeptics will soon be silenced by science: Richard Leakey
- Severe thunderstorms rock eastern Ontario
- Air Canada jet with falling debris had previous mishaps
- Canada has higher proportion of seniors than ever before
- Newly discovered malware most lethal cyberweapon to date
- Alberta couple, child found dead in Saskatchewan ditch

