37th PARLIAMENT, 1st SESSION

EDITED HANSARD • NUMBER 144

Tuesday, February 19, 2002

 

STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS

[S. O. 31]

*   *   *

(1415)  

Firearms Registration

Mr. Garry Breitkreuz (Yorkton--Melville, Canadian Alliance):  Mr. Speaker, a few weeks ago three RCMP officers showed up at a home in Langley, B.C. at 10 o'clock at night and advised the owner that they were there to seize his firearms because he did not have a firearms licence.  The homeowner took his valid firearms licence out of his wallet and showed it to the three officers. The RCMP officers said that there must have been a mistake in their records and left. Maybe the solicitor general would like to explain why harassing law-abiding gun owners is a higher priority for the RCMP than tracking down suspected terrorists.  Maybe the justice minister can explain why his super-duper, $700 million gun registry cannot even let RCMP officers identify gun owners with a valid firearms licence. Was not the whole point of setting up the registry in the first place to save police time and resources? Two ministers have fumbled the firearms file. Will this new minister be the third, or will he do the right thing and put an end to this firearms fiasco?