Mulcair on equality

By Aaron Wherry - Tuesday, January 24, 2012 at 11:37 AM - 0 Comments

Thomas Mulcair released his plan for equality yesterday.

“As Prime Minister, I would commit to appointing women to fill 50% of all positions on the Board of Directors of Crown corporations and government agencies—and I’d use the office of Prime Minister to challenge the private sector to do the same.” Mulcair said.

Among other measures, Mr. Mulcair also says he would introduce “proactive” pay equity legislation, restore the court challenges program and develop “a more effective, better managed system of firearms registration.”

Registered division

By Aaron Wherry - Wednesday, November 23, 2011 at 12:35 PM - 0 Comments

The long-gun registry splits the NDP leadership contenders.

Brian Topp, the Montreal-born Toronto union leader considered by many as a front-runner, said as prime minister, he would attempt to revive the controversial program to register all long guns … Two other urban MPs seeking to replace the late Jack Layton — Peggy Nash of Toronto and Paul Dewar of Ottawa — are also in favour of bringing back the registry…

A fourth big-city candidate, Thomas Mulcair of Montreal, said through a spokesman that he wasn’t at this point taking a position on the issue. Cullen and three other candidates — Niki Ashton of the remote Churchill riding in Manitoba; Robert Chisholm of Dartmouth, N.S.; and Martin Singh of Musquodoboit Harbour, near Halifax — said they wouldn’t bring it back.

Mr. Topp says reestablishing the registry would have to be cost effective. Ms. Nash says it would have to be less onerous. Mr. Dewar says he would register weapons “in a way that consults with stakeholders and finds solutions.”

The Commons: A gun-measuring contest in the House

By Aaron Wherry - Tuesday, November 1, 2011 at 6:32 PM - 0 Comments

The Scene. At last the House was united.

“Mr. Speaker,” declared Alice Wong, minister of state for seniors, reading carefully from the piece of paper in front of her, “I will take no lesson from the opposition.”

Both sides variously roared with agreement and soon thereafter the farce of this afternoon’s proceedings moved from thinly veiled to unabashed. Switch “I” for “we” and the government might have an answer for everything and we might be able to pronounce closure on this entire business of parliamentary democracy for at least the next four years. Think of all the time that would free up. Not to mention the money saved on electricity bills when we no longer have to bother pretending there’s a reason to keep the lights on in here.

The hour had actually begun on a stridently serious note, at least insofar as there is surely nothing more serious than the gun. Continue…

The registry and privacy

By Aaron Wherry - Tuesday, November 1, 2011 at 4:32 PM - 0 Comments

Public Safety Minister Vic Toews first claimed that long-gun registry data needed to be destroyed lest it fall into the NDP’s hands. Mr. Toews then argued that destroying the data was necessary as a matter of privacy. On the latter point, the privacy commissioner seems not entirely to agree.

Jennifer Stoddart said there’s nothing in the Privacy Act that prevents the federal government from sharing the data with provincial governments. Indeed, the Privacy Commissioner said the act actually permits disclosure of personal information, provided it’s done through a federal-provincial agreement for the purpose of administering or enforcing any law or carrying out a lawful investigation.

The Commons: Bonfire of the registry

By Aaron Wherry - Wednesday, October 26, 2011 at 6:06 PM - 0 Comments

The Scene. At its essence, this debate over the long-gun registry was always a debate about paperwork. And so it is only right and fitting that it should end now with a fight over what should be done with that paper.

For the record, Article 29 of Bill C-19, an Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Firearms Act, states that “the Commissioner of Firearms shall ensure the destruction as soon as feasible of all records in the Canadian Firearms Registry related to the registration of firearms that are neither prohibited firearms nor restricted firearms and all copies of those records under the Commissioner’s control.” And variously this much is viewed as a waste of both information and money.

“Why,” Nycole Turmel asked this afternoon, “destroy two billion dollars of accumulated information, while the provinces and the police want to keep it?” Continue…

Leave no trace behind

By Aaron Wherry - Tuesday, October 25, 2011 at 3:54 PM - 94 Comments

In addition to eliminating the long-gun registry, the government’s new legislation will destroy all records related to the registry.

The government’s lead minister declared he wants to thwart the ability of any other party, such as the NDP, to recreate it as well. “We won’t have these records loose and capable then of creating a new long gun registry should they ever have the opportunity to do that,” ” said Public Safety Minister Vic Toews at a news conference at an Ottawa valley farm.

Long-gun registry saved

By Aaron Wherry - Wednesday, September 22, 2010 at 6:54 PM - 0 Comments

As projected, the House of Commons has approved a motion of the public safety committee to defeat Bill C-391, by a margin of 153 to 151.

The Liberals and NDP have issued official responses. The Prime Minister said the following to reporters after the vote.

After 15 years, opposition to the long-gun registry is stronger in this country than it has ever been.  With the vote tonight, its abolition is closer than it has ever been.  The people of the regions of this country are never going to accept being treated like criminals and we will continue our efforts until this registry is finally abolished.

With an hour and a fifteen minutes to go

By Aaron Wherry - Wednesday, September 22, 2010 at 4:30 PM - 0 Comments

Messrs Ignatieff and Layton are promising that all of their respective sides will be in attendance for the vote on C-391 that is now expected to take place at about 5:45pm. Independent MP Andre Arthur stood before QP and informed the House that he remained opposed to the long-gun registry. Liberal MP Scott Simms, who had been the subject of some speculation this morning, is expected to vote against C-391. Postmedia’s Janice Tibbetts has the NDP’s Niki Ashton still in favour of C-391.

If all that holds true, the committee report to be voted on tonight will be approved by a count of 153-151, thus defeating Bill C-391 and preserving the long-gun registry.

Junius explains that gun-registry math

By Colby Cosh - Wednesday, September 22, 2010 at 1:34 AM - 0 Comments

The Globe and Mail has finally explained where a Toronto Chief of Police and dozens of gullible journalists and politicians got the idea that the national firearms registry costs $4 million a year. I’ve watched this figure get repeated countless times over the past month or so, and every single time I kept returning with furrowed brow to the Treasury Board estimates, which put the combined operating and transfers cost of firearms registration at $22 million, just to the RCMP, for 2010-11. (The overall cost for registries and licensing infrastructure comes to $78 million.)

That’s not counting the costs to other federal agencies—most especially the cost to Corrections Canada, estimated loosely at $10 million for fiscal ’08-’09. Certainly the commentators who were soiling themselves over the PBO’s estimates for penological costs of Conservative law-and-order measures wouldn’t want to just ignore the money spent on keeping gun-registry offenders locked up longer, would they? Including the cost in registrant time and effort would drive the figure higher still; surely the Globe is bound to be giving the program a break in only revising the cost upward by a factor of 16½.

If the Globe is right, it seems only a bit of sloppily written verbiage in the new report on the registry—interpreted by dissimulators with badges, and faithfully broadcast by writers with poor financial instincts—could possibly have led anyone to believe the gun registry is a bargain. (The Firearms Centre in Miramichi has 240 federal employees, guys! $4 million wouldn’t cover 12 weeks of payroll expenses, right?) And maybe I’m just some Western flake, but in retrospect it does seem as though the propagation of $4 million figure was possible only because the RCMP played undisguised politics with the report, dawdling over a “translation” (a tactic that the Conservatives somehow ended up taking most of the blame for) and making sure to pass it around to friendly, gullible media outlets in a timely way before the vote on C-391. All of which, now, can serve only the electoral interests of the Conservatives themselves—keeping alive the hated totem and allowing them to exploit the real financial numbers in their search for a Commons majority.

[UPDATE, 10:22 am: Or not. The Citizen's board smacks down the Globe this morning, and the Globe seems to have mis-identified the source of the figure within the report—the actual source being a reference to another report to the RCMP by a government IT consultancy, Pleiad Canada. So could we have that document, or is it already too late to bother?]

Speaking for the victims

By Aaron Wherry - Monday, September 20, 2010 at 6:15 PM - 0 Comments

Public Safety Minister Vic Toews, in QP this afternoon. “Mr. Speaker, in fact, we are listening to victims. And victims want dangerous, repeat criminals in prison. They want safe streets. They don’t want the dangerous criminals on the streets. And they want laws that target the criminals. They don’t believe that the long-gun registry targets criminals. In fact, it targets law-abiding hunters and farms and sportspeople right across this country. It’s not a law we need in Canada.”

National Victims of Crime Ombudsman Sue O’Sullivan, about an hour later. “In the few short weeks since my appointment, I have had the opportunity to begin an important dialogue with national victims’ groups on a number of issues, including the long-gun registry,” explained Ms. O’Sullivan. “Though there is no consensus, the majority of victims’ groups we have spoken to have made it clear: Canada should maintain its long-gun registry.”

The paramount importance of public sentiment

By Aaron Wherry - Friday, September 17, 2010 at 5:38 PM - 0 Comments

The Prime Minister vows to continue not resting until the long gun registry is abolished.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper says the federal long-gun registry will someday be scrapped, regardless of what happens to a Tory backbencher’s bill on the issue when Parliament returns next week … ”Opposition to it has not diminished; it has only increased,” he said.

He again denounced the registry, which was introduced by the Liberal government of Jean Chrétien in 1995, as a “large-scale operation that targeted the wrong people” — including hunters, farmers, outdoorsmen and women, as well as police officers “who understand the reality of these communities.” ”These people will never accept this registry because they know it is ineffective and wasteful, and the party I lead will not rest until the day it is abolished,” Harper said to applause.

By Harris-Decima’s findings, public opinion has indeed been shifting, but in the exact opposite direction.

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

By Aaron Wherry - Friday, September 17, 2010 at 1:30 PM - 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.

Swing votes

By Aaron Wherry - Thursday, September 16, 2010 at 4:10 PM - 0 Comments

NDP MP Niki Ashton will disclose tomorrow how she plans to vote on C-391. Peter Stoffer, previously committed to voting in favour of C-391, says he’ll have something to say on Monday. John Rafferty, another yes vote, says his mind hasn’t changed. Bruce Hyer says he won’t vote for a Liberal motion that would effectively scrap C-391.

151 to 149

By Aaron Wherry - Wednesday, September 8, 2010 at 12:35 PM - 0 Comments

There may ultimately be two votes on C-391. Two days after the House returns, there will be a vote on a Liberal motion to scrap C-391. If that fails, C-391 will proceed to a vote at some point later this session.

On that note, an update. New Democrat Bruce Hyer says he won’t vote to scrap C-391 on the initial vote, though he reserves the right to ultimately change his mind on the bill before it comes to a final vote. Meanwhile, John Rafferty, another of the NDP dozen, says he intends to vote in favour of C-391. As does Nathan Cullen.

That shifts the advantage back to supporters of C-391 by a count of 151 to 149.

Four NDP votes (Allen, Ashton, Gravelle and Hughes) remain undeclared. One no vote (Jean-Yves Roy) remains in question.

Will they stay away?

By Aaron Wherry - Friday, September 3, 2010 at 9:20 AM - 0 Comments

The Star suggests at least some of the NDP dozen may avoid a vote on Bill C-391 this fall.

The about-face is driven in part by tactics the Conservative government is employing as it tries to build support for killing the registry. One Conservative MP has accused Canada’s police chiefs of plotting to use the registry to seize Canadians’ rifles and shotguns.

“You’ve got the Conservatives turning off our rural guys,” said Brad Lavigne, national director of the NDP. He added that two “very real options” are available to rural members — stay away or reverse their earlier support for the Conservative bill.

One more for the no side?

By Aaron Wherry - Thursday, September 2, 2010 at 10:56 AM - 0 Comments

On the basis of his comments last night to the CBC and CP, the NDP’s Charlie Angus would seem at the moment to be moving in the general direction of preparing to maybe vote against Bill C-391.

Dennis Bevington, meanwhile, repeats his intent to vote to scrap the registry.

Make it four?

By Aaron Wherry - Wednesday, September 1, 2010 at 5:02 PM - 0 Comments

Pundits Guide notes that BQ MP Jean-Yves Roy might not be a BQ MP for much longer.

In terms of the Bill C-391, that would be another no vote lost.

In terms of another potential by-election, the riding of Haute-Gaspésie–La Mitis–Matane–Matapédia would very much seem to be in play. It would also give each of the four parties a riding to defend in potential fall votes alongside the NDP in Winnipeg-North, the Liberals in Vaughan and the Conservatives in Dauphin-Swan River-Marquette.

He rides again

By Aaron Wherry - Wednesday, September 1, 2010 at 4:16 PM - 0 Comments

Perhaps for the sake of history, someone with the Liberal research team apparently thought it necessary to record James Bezan’s gun registry video. And so here again, now with the added cache that someone seemingly would rather this not be seen, is Mr. Bezan, atop a horse, explaining the upcoming vote on Bill C-391.

Where've you gone Woody?

By Aaron Wherry - Wednesday, September 1, 2010 at 1:18 PM - 0 Comments

Alas, it was perhaps too good to last. As of this moment, it appears Mr. Bezan’s video on the gun registry vote has disappeared from YouTube. If anyone somehow made a copy before it was lost, do please share it with the class.

In the meantime, here is some archival footage of Mr. Bezan and his trusty steed.

And now a word from James Bezan

By Aaron Wherry - Wednesday, September 1, 2010 at 10:09 AM - 0 Comments

Conservative backbencher James Bezan has a horse named Woody. He has a video camera (or at least knows someone who does). And he has some things he would like to say to you about Bill C-391. This is what happens when those three facts are resolved with each other.

With kind regards

By Aaron Wherry - Wednesday, September 1, 2010 at 8:59 AM - 0 Comments

Conservative MP Garry Breitkreuz and NDP MP Charlie Angus exchange greetings.

So Gary, let’s be frank: we’re just not on the same page here at all. Rural New Democrats have brought forward legitimate concerns of rural residents and are looking to have those issues addressed. The Harper Conservatives, on the other hand, would rather try and just stir up rural Canadians with all manner of wild and crazy conspiracy theories about our local police forces. And just for the sake of a quick fundraising buck and some negative partisan advertising.

And how then shall we defend ourselves against the British invaders?

By Aaron Wherry - Tuesday, August 31, 2010 at 3:50 PM - 0 Comments

While lamenting the “media war” and the “political aggravation” surrounding the gun registry, Conservative MP Garry Breitkreuz frets for our impending police dictatorship.

When law enforcement managers try to write the laws they enforce, history has taught us we risk becoming a state where police can dictate our personal freedoms … Why are the police chiefs so strident in their quest to keep the registry in place? They won’t admit it, but it appears they don’t want Canadians to own guns. To that end, they need a database that will help them locate and seize those firearms as soon as a licence or registration expires.

‘If we can find a way to move forward’

By Aaron Wherry - Tuesday, August 31, 2010 at 1:33 PM - 0 Comments

In the wake of Jack Layton’s announcement yesterday, Charlie Angus, one of the dozen NDP MPs whose votes will decide the fate of the gun registry, doesn’t seem entirely committed to voting for C-391 on third reading. But Jim Maloway, who has repeated his intention to vote for C-391, is unmoved.

Regardless, said Maloway, he still plans to vote with Hoeppner. ”Nothing there changes my view on the long-gun registry,” said Maloway.

He also said Layton’s proposal is too little too late. ”This bill just went through committee last spring,” said Maloway. “Where were all these amendments at the committee?”

A wasteful, ineffective, important tool to promote public safety

By Aaron Wherry - Tuesday, August 31, 2010 at 9:11 AM - 0 Comments

The RCMP’s evaluation of the Canadian Firearms Program—which you didn’t need to see because the Public Safety Minister’s office had already told you what you needed to know—is officially released today. Canadian Press had an early look and the CBC posted a leaked copy. The following from the report’s findings.

Firearms registration is a critical component of the entire firearms program. The program, as a whole, is an important tool for law enforcement. It also serves to increase the accountability of firearms owners for their firearms, by linking registered firearms to licensees. An acceptable level of compliance toward long gun registration is essential for improving the Registry’s utility as a tool to promote public safety … Canadians are receiving value for their tax dollars from the CFP. Overall, the Canadian Firearms Program is cost-effective in reducing firearms-related crime and promoting public safety through universal licensing of firearms owners and registration of firearms in Canada.

Conservative MP Candice Hoeppner, sponsor of Bill C-391, was quick with a response, proclaiming in an release last evening that “the RCMP report supports what I’ve been saying all along – that the long-gun registry is wasteful and ineffective.”