New Hoeppner Bill C-391 designed to pass vote despite minority government
 
OTTAWA, ON - Kenora MP Greg Rickford believes Bill C-391, introduced by MP Candace Hoeppner, will finally scrap the long gun registry.
 
 “The time has come to cast aside politics and deal once and for all with the wasteful registry,” said Rickford. “I am a joint seconder of this new bill.  It is simplified and I can’t imagine how the northern ON MPs could possibly rationalize voting against it.”
 
“When Bill C-301 was introduced by Garry Breitkreuz, I was a joint seconder of that Bill also.  However, the opposition complained that there were unpalatable legislative details, so hopefully these same opposition members will see fit to support this newly revised, simplified bill that focuses solely on closing down the long gun registry, while our government continues to focus its attention on introducing measures to tackle crime and keep guns out of the hands of violent criminals.”
 
In his first speech to the House of Commons, John Rafferty, New Democrat from Thunder Bay- Rainy River said, "I am very pleased to tell the House that, for eight years since the turn of the century, my constituents have told me that we need to get rid of the long-gun registry. They have told me that it unfairly penalizes farmers, gun collectors and hunters. If that bill appears as a stand-alone bill, I will honour the wishes of the constituents in my riding." (Winnipeg Free Press, February 11, 2009) yet on April 22, conveniently, Mr. Rafferty was not in attendance for the vote to extend amnesty, something which all Northern Ontario NDP members voted against.
 
Bill C-391 is a standalone bill to get rid of the long-gun registry.  The registry has not saved even one life during its 10 years of operation. Now $2 billion later, the 1995 legislation has run a thousand times over budget without any tangible result beyond creating a paper-pushing bureaucracy. “Now is the time to put this to rest.” said Rickford.  Will the Opposition honour their constituents’ wishes this time??