Yesterday, Canada’s House of Commons passed third reading of
legislation which would
abolish the Canadian Firearms Registry. The bill now goes to
Canada’s Senate for passage before being signed into law by the
Governor General.
The Canadian Firearms Registry came into being by the Liberal
government of Jean Chretien back in 1995. It has long been plagued
by cost overruns and there is little evidence to suggest it
actually reduces gun crime. The Conservative government of Stephen
Harper has wanted to abolish the agency since coming to office in
2006. However, the Tories were in a minority government situation
and the opposition parties wouldn’t have it. But after the Tories
won their elusive majority in the House of Commons last May, it was
only a matter of time before the registry was going to be
scrapped.
Interestingly, two members of the socialist New Democratic Party
(NDP) voted with the Tories yesterday. The two NDP MPs in question,
Bruce Hyer and John Rafferty, represent constituencies in my
hometown of Thunder Bay, Ontario. Both Hyer and Rafferty have long
supported abolishing the registry which is unpopular in rural areas
and especially amongst hunters. Despite their long standing
opposition,
when Hyer and Rafferty voted in favor of the bill on second
reading, interim NDP leader Nycole Turmel stripped Hyer and
Rafferty of the critic portfolios and committee assignments as well
as prohibited them from participating in Question Period or making
public statements. Turmel has
warned that more sanctions will be brought about against Hyer
and Rafferty. It is worth noting that the NDP will select a new
leader next month. If that new leader insists on disciplining Hyer
and Rafferty for voting in the interests of their constituents then
the NDP can kiss Northern Ontario goodbye in the 2015 election.
It’s interesting how urban-rural schism can split
the Left when it comes to gun politics in Canada. On a
personal note, when I was a parliamentary intern for former NDP MP
Nelson Riis back in the fall of 1994, I had the opportunity to sit
in on a few NDP caucus meetings. I was there when the Liberals
introduced the firearms registry legislation and back then nearly
every member of the NDP caucus opposed the bill as they represented
constituencies in Western Canada (mostly in Saskatchewan) that were
either predominantly or partially rural. The only NDP MP who
supported the registry at the time was Svend Robinson who
represented a constituency in a suburban Vancouver.
Well, today there’s are far more urban composition to the NDP
Caucus especially from Montreal where there is greater support for
the registry. There are also no NDP MPs from Saskatchewan, the
cradle of Canadian social democracy. But it also seems there is
less tolerance for those with dissenting views which is curious
because those dissenting views were once the prevailing views
within the NDP Caucus not so long ago.
