Beyond The Commons

 Beyond The Commons

Aaron Wherry covers all the goings-on in and around Parliament Hill. Follow Aaron on Twitter: @aaronwherry

Categories: Beyond The Commons, Capital Read

If they really wanted to get rid of the long gun registry

by Aaron Wherry on Friday, September 17, 2010 1:30pm - 0 Comments

An interesting exchange from John Baird’s news conference yesterday.

Reporter: Mr. Baird, if scrapping the gun registry is so important and if the Prime Minister feels so strongly about it, as the Conservatives do, then why not just bury it in a money bill and make it a confidence motion?

Baird: I don’t anticipate that you’ll see that this fall.

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  • Emily

    What….and ruin one of their best little fundraisers….?

    Was this reporter mad??

    • Dave

      The gun registry debate will be stretched out as long as humanly possible. It has been the Reform-a-Tory's biggest fundraiser for 14 years running, and they ain't jumping off the gravy train.

      • BCer in Mtl

        The registry's defenders might legitimately claim that it has produced economic benefits – all those funds raised have been recycled into the economy for advertising which surely benefits the providers of the advertising and those they buy from, and in so doing have generated tax revenues all along the way.

  • Reverend_Blair

    Somehow I don't think Baird anticipates much. He's kind of like a not very bright dog…constantly surprised by reality.

    • Crit_Reasoning

      Thank goodness we have intellectual luminaries like you gracing us with your wit by comparing a politician you dislike to a "not very bright dog". Stuff like that really raises the tone around here.

      • Reverend_Blair

        Why, thank you.

        • Crit_Reasoning

          You're welcome.

      • Stewart_Smith

        He was just channeling his inner MacKay.

      • LdKitchenersOwn

        Actually CR, in the comments to many posts Reverend_Blair's mild insult actually WOULD be an elevated tone, in context.

        Given where the tone generally is, I'm certainly not sure that the Reverend has lowered it.

        • Crit_Reasoning

          That's a good point, and I certainly didn't mean to suggest that Reverend Blair is responsible for lowering the tone. I was just pointing out, with gentle sarcasm, that comments like the "not very bright dog" example aren't exactly helping to raise the level of discourse around here.

          • Patchouli

            I took it as an insult to not very bright dogs.

      • Jan

        Baird has pretty much set the bar on tone.

      • JustinWordswrth

        It certainly makes me chuckle to see the cool, calm, respected elder(114p!)-statesman, suddenly become the target of the condemnation and abuse of the angry mob.

        It is beginning to look like some hideous revolution is taking place. And I fear the warmer-heads are prevailing.

    • Roberta

      Most of you writing in this blog are not very bright and startle easily by reality. John Baird is nobody's fool. My the egos that some of you have!!!!

      • ahm

        Have you seen reality lately? And you're not startled? Two words: spin foam. Go read Inkless' Adventures At The Edge Of Ontario, Or, How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Large Hadron Collider.

      • Reverend_Blair

        He's nobody's fool? Does that mean he's gone feral?

    • MarionKl

      I would not make the mistake of underestimating John Baird. He knows exactly what he's doing.

  • Mike T.

    It's all games, esp. with Harper.

    Come to think of it, that's why compromise won't be effective. You can fix the administrative issues, move the costs of registration from gun owners to taxpayers, everybody can agree and there will STILL be another "private member's bill" at next sitting. And CON-tributors will still froth at the mouth and gladly shell out more than they would have paid to fill out their form and get a license.

    Further coming to think about it, unless there's some way to make it about funding, can't things which have nothing to do with the subject of a bill be removed from the bill at committee or by special motion or sumthin? Isn't that why we don't get irrelevant riders like in the U.S. (If anybody has that info at their fingertips it would be much obliged).

  • Blue

    Because, though it just doesn`t pass the test as a sensible piece of legislation, the gun registry is not worthy of being a confidence motion that would cause an election.

    I don`t recall Chretien saying in 1995 that this Law must pass or we will fight an Election over it.

    It was a silly trick question to ask and the curt answer was appropriate.

    • Mike T.

      ah, you conservatives do manage to amuse people!

    • bennji1977

      But ending subsidies to political parties is a burning ballot question?

      • Blue

        Apparently it was serious enough for the opposition parties to attempt a coalition coup so they could keep their $1.95 per vote.

        • Thwim

          Again, stop lying. The coalition was in response to a government of Canada that included absolutely no stimulus spending in its budget at a time when we were just entering what could have been the most severe depression seen in decades.

          • Blue

            No, that`s not true—don`t try to rewrite history.

            The coalition-coup would never have been tried if Harper had not proposed to stop the funding of political parties from the pockets of unwilling voters.

            You guys are just going to have to live with the truth.

          • brooster

            Then why did Harper see the need to come back with a hastily-devised stimulus package after he'd shut down parliament?

          • Blue

            And if Harper had included the elimination of the vote subsidy in that stimulus package, there would have been another attempted coalition-coup.

      • Mike T.

        And they had so much respect for the idea of what does and does not constiute confidence matters round about 2007ish….

        Blue is a liar and not worthy of our rebuttals.

  • Reverend_Blair

    The lack of riders is largely a tradition, not a rule. Harper is changing that by putting anti-environmental legislation into money bills and so on.

    • Crit_Reasoning

      Could you please provide an example of "anti-environmental legislation" that Harper is putting in money bills?

      • Reverend_Blair

        Yeah, his last big omnibus money bill.

        • Crit_Reasoning

          What was the "anti-environmental legislation", specifically?

          • Reverend_Blair

            Basically taking away environmental assessments by giving the minister the power to ram things through. I suspect you already knew that though. are we in for one of those conservative dives into pedantry to defend the indefensible?

          • Crit_Reasoning

            I politely asked you to elaborate about something you said, and predictably enough I've already been thumbed down by several people for my trouble.

            I suspect you already knew that though

            No, I didn't. That's why I asked the question in the first place.

            are we in for one of those conservative dives into pedantry to defend the indefensible

            No, Reverend_Blair, I get the sense that attempting a civil conversation about amendments to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act would be a fruitless endeavour.

            By the way, I looked it up and here's the text of the amendment:

            2155. The Act is amended by adding the following after section 15:

            15.1(1) Despite section 15, the Minister may, if the conditions that the Minister establishes are met, determine that the scope of the project in relation to which an environmental assessment is to be conducted is limited to one or more components of that project.

          • frobisher

            Not about the registry, but regarding the most recent omnibus bill…Maybe it's willful blindness but aren't the most meaningful words in 15.1(1) "…conditions the minister establishes…determine the scope…an environmental assessment is ro be conducted."

            'Limited' also seems kind of important here, too.

            So,

            'Hey, we want o look for shale gas in Quebec, but there's this darned environmental assessment…."

            Minister: "Not any more. Set the drinking water on fire for all we care."

          • Crit_Reasoning

            I take your point, and I'd have to research the issue more before I passed judgement on the merits of this amendment. For one thing, I'm curious whether the amendment has actually been used by the Minister of the Environment since the bill was passed.

  • Crit_Reasoning

    I can only imagine the howls of righteous indignation if the Conservatives buried something as contentious as the gun registry issue within an omnibus money bill.

    • Mike T.

      The same thing that happens every time something gets buried in an omnibus bill and a party complains?

    • http://intensedebate.com/people/Ottawa_Centrist Ottawa_Centrist

      It could be enough to spur a prorogation.

    • Jan

      There were howls at the Senate committee meetings. Problem was there was so many contentious issues they got lost in the shuffle. Harper learns well from the Americans.

  • Mike T.

    Come to think of it, why not turn it back on Harper. "We have the votes to save the registry. if you want it gone, offer us something. Something you wouldn't normally give."

    • Blue

      You mean like some Cabinet positions for the promise not to vote against the government for 2 and one-half years ?

      • Mike T.

        No party would agree to not vote against the conservatives for any period of time at this point; harper would never give up cabinet positions and I doubt the other parties would accept them if offered.

        I'm not interested in specific proposals (although your's was interesting in it's innovation) so much as the idea.

        • Blue

          It was obviously an unsuccessful attempt with some ill-fated coalition ha ha.

          • Mike T.

            liar.

          • Blue

            Not nice—that`s the last time I`ll try to lighten things up with you.

          • Mike T.

            Yes, please refrain.

            Lair.

          • Blue

            Interesting means of rebuttal you`ve resorted to—-probably means you`re having trouble with the truth.

            What`s a lair ?

          • Amateur Hour

            A Canadian Conservative. You'd have to be to support the veracity of Tony Clement, Vic Toews, Peter MacKay or even Toronto Steve on anything they've said this year.

            It's sad, actually, as a conservative party that respected things like facts, public service, Parliament and such would be a very welcome presence.

          • burlivespipe

            Quit bringing up Harper's letter to GG Clarkson already! It was an honest mistake… sorta like his copying Howard's love letter to GWB and pimping the war in the WSJ while throwing Canada's independent and responsible action to the wolves.

  • Emily

    Cons and Repubs never seem to notice that while 'their party' is in office, nothing ever really happens about gun-control, gays, abortion etc.

    They are just sticks to stir up the rubes between elections and get them to kick in money.

    • bennji1977

      In those cases it's the fault of the MSM :)

      • Emily

        LOL yes the MSM, evil libruls, atheists running wild in the street, drug users….whatever works.

    • Calgarian

      I do hope you realise that they have tried, like they are now. However, when working with an opposition – you can't get everything down you wanted, especially with divisive issues like the LG Registry. I would love to see it scrapped – but the fault for its continued existence is on the grits and dippers. This is not the first time something has got close – Just search Ronald Reagan and abortion, and you'll find how close they came to some new legislation.

  • dave

    To be fair, the best money bill to axe a program in is the budget and that's not due until next spring.

  • JamesF

    Wait… a reporter actually called a minister on his bovine-manure with a question? Who? Well, whomever he or she was someone give this guy/gal a promotion, a pat on the back, and a hearty "well done".

  • LynnTO

    I am still awaiting that great Aaron Sorkin/A Few Good Men moment to come out of one of the mouths of our Ministers:
    You can't handle the truth! Son, we live in a world that has walls. And those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinberg? I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for Santiago and you curse the Marines. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know: that Santiago's death, while tragic, probably saved lives. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives…You don't want the truth. Because deep down, in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that wall. You need me on that wall.
    We use words like honor, code, loyalty…we use these words as the backbone to a life spent defending something. You use 'em as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom I provide, then questions the manner in which I provide it! I'd rather you just said thank you and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon and stand a post. Either way, I don't give a damn what you think you're entitled to!

    • ahm

      "I'm not going to live there. There's no place for me there… any more than there is for you. Malcolm… I'm a monster.What I do is evil. I have no illusions about it, but it must be done."

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