NEWS RELEASE

July 22, 2003                                                                                                  For Immediate Release

LIBERALS UNDER THE GUN AS MAJORITY OF ABORIGINALS BOYCOTT GUN REGISTRY

Documents reveal: Mohawk communities of Kahnawake (5% compliance) and Akwesasne (less than 1%).

Yorkton – Today, Garry Breitkreuz, Official Opposition Critic for Firearms and Property Rights, released 136 pages of Justice Department documents showing just how much more trouble the gun registry is in as a result of non-compliance by Aboriginal communities right across Canada.  “Even though the Justice Department blanked-out the actual non-compliance statistics for 68 Aboriginal communities, they still provided about 5 pages of damning evidence,” commented Breitkreuz (see attachment for excerpts).  “The documents show that only about half of the Aboriginal gun owners have applied for a firearms licence.  The big problem for the government is that only those persons who have a valid firearms licence can register their guns.  Another document indicates that the non-compliance problem in Aboriginal communities is getting worse as time goes on and will further undermine the integrity of the Firearms Act,” revealed the Saskatchewan MP.

Yet another Justice Department report showed that 168 out of 382 Aboriginal Communities in the four western provinces refused to even participate in a gun registry Outreach Program in 2002.  “Aboriginal self-government issues appear to be presenting a bigger problem for the Liberals than non-compliance with gun registry,” said Breitkreuz.  “The few Aboriginal communities that are co-operating with the Liberals are only doing so until they can take over control of the administration of the firearms program for themselves.  The ‘control’ model the Assembly of First Nations are demanding is similar to the current model for Aboriginal policing programs.”

Breitkreuz continued his revelations, “The government is in a quandary because they don’t know what to do and every move they make is adding millions to an already out of control gun registry budget.”  For example, under the Strategies section of one document it states: “…we will need to revisit a number of key policy, administrative and practical issues (e.g. competing definitions of “sustenance” hunter; options for the allocation and management of firearms fees; broader Aboriginal participation in the Canadian Firearms Program) as well as entertain a number of difficult questions.  For example, with whom are we prepared to negotiate?  What are we prepared to put on the negotiation table, why and when?  How far are we prepared to go?  What financial and political costs are we prepared to absorb?  And, similarly, what are we willing to risk to achieve end(s)?”  ATI Page 000064

Another document exposes the fact that police are charging Aboriginal hunters for possession of a gun without a licence and that this is damaging already sensitive police/Aboriginal relations in many parts of the country.  Officials are concerned that this will only serve to increase Aboriginal over-representation in the criminal justice system.  “Anyone who had thought for even half a minute about the implementation of Bill C-68 could have predicted all of these problems,” said Breitkreuz.  “The Liberals can’t say they weren’t warned.  Expert witnesses, including now Supreme Court Justice Ian Binnie, told them as much in 1995.  Only a narrow-minded, power-hungry government would have continued down a road so poorly mapped out.  Now taxpayers are paying a huge price for this gross Liberal incompetence,” concluded Breitkreuz.

EXCERPTS FROM ACCESS TO INFORMATION ACT REQUEST

http://www.cssa-cila.org/garryb/breitkreuzgpress/aboriginal_communities.htm

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