PUBLICATION:        The Ottawa Citizen

DATE:                         2004.02.05

EDITION:                    Final

SECTION:                  News

PAGE:                         A9

BYLINE:                     Tim Naumetz

SOURCE:                   CanWest News Service

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Female MPs oppose death of gun registry: Liberal women's caucus angry MP predicted free Commons vote on funding will kill program

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Liberal MP Roger Gallaway angered MPs in the Liberal women's caucus after saying he believes the gun registry will lose its funding when estimates for the Canadian Firearms Centre come before Parliament in March.

Several MPs in the powerful women's lobby said yesterday they will fight for the gun registry to the bitter end, and argued any motion on funding would be an expression of confidence in the government, requiring support from all Liberal MPs.

But Mr. Gallaway, who said he is aware a "little nest" of government MPs is trying to stir up support for the program, reiterated he believes the registry's funding will be decided in a free vote either in a Commons committee or the chamber itself and will likely be defeated.

Mr. Gallaway said his statement last week that the registry may be doomed raised a storm of publicity across the country and he received e-mails of support from throughout the western provinces.

Members of the women's caucus, however, met yesterday with the minister in charge of the program, Albina Guarnieri, minister of state for emergency preparedness. They argued the government should remain committed to the registry. Ms. Guarnieri is heading a review of the $1-billion program and has said all options are open.

"Gallaway is very wrong," said Montreal MP Marlene Jennings. "The gun registry is not going to die. The government is firmly behind the gun registry and firmly behind gun control."

Ms. Jennings argued the estimates, which are the annual departmental requests for funding sent to parliament each year, are part of the budget process and therefore cannot be subject to a free vote even under the democratic reforms Prime Minister Paul Martin unveiled yesterday.

Toronto MP Sarmite Bulte agreed the registry should be maintained. She said one of the program's leading supporters, Wendy Cukier of the Coalition for Gun Control, appeared in her riding to mark international women's day last year and outlined "absolutely frightening" figures about the role of firearms in domestic homicide and abuse.

London, Ont., MP Sue Barnes, the former chair of the Commons finance committee who is now parliamentary secretary to Justice Minister Irwin Cotler, agreed the gun program should be maintained, although she supported the government review to control costs.

"Canadians believe in the gun registry," said Barnes, who noted the program's annual costs have already been trimmed to $113 million a year and it has become a tool for police forces. "Having said that, no one wants to see fiscal waste," she added.

Kitchener, Ont., MP Karen Redman, said she also supports the registry, but believes changes are needed to gain greater public acceptance. Rural Ontario MP Rose-Marie Ur, however, said while she believes the government should continue to register handguns, as it has since the 1930s, rifles and shotguns should be excluded.

"We're for safe streets, we're for safe communities, but you tell me how registering a gun will achieve that purpose," said Ur. "Money that's going into that (registering hunting rifles and shotguns) is just absolutely a waste. Let's make sure that the money that we have is going into more police officers, more customs officers."

Gallaway termed "rubbish" the argument that a vote on estimates for the registry would be a vote of confidence in the government. "There's a little nest of them who are trying to stir things up," Gallaway said of his opponents in the caucus.

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DOMESTIC HOMICIDES ARE UP!

http://www.cssa-cila.org/garryb/breitkreuzgpress/guns99.htm

HOMICIDES ARE UP!

http://www.cssa-cila.org/garryb/breitkreuzgpress/guns95.htm

SUICIDES ARE UP!

http://www.cssa-cila.org/garryb/publications/suicidesincanada.htm

RATE OF VIOLENT CRIME HAS MORE THAN QUADRUPLED SINCE 1962

http://www.cssa-cila.org/garryb/publications/PoliceReportedCrimeCanada962-2002.pdf  

69.9% OF CRIMINAL VIOLATIONS WITH FIREARMS INVOLVED HANDGUNS

http://www.cssa-cila.org/garryb/publications/ViolationsAgainsthePersonInvolvingFirearmsPresent2002.pdf

2.2% of  209,472 CRIMINAL VIOLATIONS INVOLVED FIREARMS

http://www.cssa-cila.org/garryb/publications/ViolationsAgainsthePersonbyTypeofWeapon,2002.pdf