 Prime Minister Stephen Harper rises along with Minister of the Environment Jim Prentice and Minister of National Defence Peter MacKay to vote on a bill designed to kill the gun registry bill in the House of Commons. (Canadian Press)
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OTTAWA — The gun registry has moved one critical step closer to its slow demise.
MPs voted 164-137 in favour of C-391, a private member's bill from Manitoba MP Candice Hoeppner to abolish the 14-year-old registry. Cheers of applause rippled through the House of Commons tonight after the bill passed with the support of 21 opposition MPs — 12 NDP, 8 Liberal and one independent MPs.
The vote means the bill has approval in principle of the House. It will go to committee for further study before a third vote then sent to the Senate for final approval.
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Earlier in the day, Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff downplayed the dissent in his caucus, insisting his party has a "strong and passionate commitment" to gun control. But he acknowledged the controversial registry has failed to garner "legitimacy" in rural Canada, and said Liberals would consult with victims' groups, sports hunters and legitimate gun owners to develop a "proposal" to improve it.
Ignatieff blasted the Conservatives for exploiting the registry as a "wedge" issue with blatant disregard to public safety.
"This is an issue where we need to be bringing Canadians together instead of dividing them. The Prime Minister has used a private member's bill for no other purpose than to cause mischief with the other parties," he said. "The fundamental issue is to make sure we get a system of gun control which works for rural Canada and urban Canada. I'm convinced that we can — but not with this government."
While the policing community is split over the usefulness of the registry — some call it an effective crime-fighting tool and others view it as a hindrance — Ignatieff said the Conservatives should not ignore the fact the system is consulted 9,000 times a day by police.
Wendy Cukier, president of the Coalition for Gun Control, accused the Tories of waging an "American-style" campaign that spread misinformation that flies in the face of police and public safety experts. She believes the issue has slid under the public radar because of the H1N1 crisis, but that reality will eventually set in.
"We're still hopeful that once Canadians get the facts, understand what's at stake, understand that this isn't going to save a lot of money, I think they're going to be outraged. I think the silent majority will stand up and I think we still have a chance to defeat this bill at third reading, in the Senate, or in the courts. It's not over until it's over."
kathleen.harris@sunmedia.ca
