Justice minister Martin Cauchon is indicating he is prepared to stare down critics of his government’s controversial gun registry, promising to control costs and keep the program.
Last week, he announced a study by former federal deputy minister Raymond Hession to recommend “a streamlined and cost-effective licensing and registration program.”
But Cauchon rejected calls from eight provinces, gun owner lobbyists, opposition MPs and some Liberal backbenchers that the registry be suspended or killed, now that it is projected to cost $1 billion rather than the $2 million promised in 1994.
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“The government of Canada believes in an effective firearms control program that includes licensing and registration,” he told reporters. “I stand behind a policy that already provides public safety benefits for Canadians.”
He said registration “promotes responsible gun use, allows us to keep firearms out of the hands of those who should not have them, gives us a record of where firearms are located, what kinds of firearms they are and who owns them.”
In his defiance, Cauchon won the strong support of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police.
“Opponents have been using the auditor general’s report to attack the principles of the system,” Ottawa police chief Vince Bevan told the news conference.
“I am here today to emphasize that the principles which support the legislation have not been compromised. They are as valid today as when CACP took up this issue 25 years ago.”
Not all police chiefs, nor rank and file police officers, agreed.
Last week, Toronto police chief Julian Fantino said the money would be better spent hiring more police officers in his city, where a spate of gun violence has erupted.
Bevan said registration has real benefits, even though many unregistered guns come into the country.
“One of our largest problems is that we live next door to a country with as many guns as people and little effective regulation,” he said.
“While gun problems in the U.S. impact us directly, they should also remind us of the importance of continuing down the path of strong and effective regulation.”
Opposition politicians, waiting to begin parliamentary hearings on the issue when Parliament resumes Jan. 27, scoffed at claims of effectiveness.
Canadian Alliance leader Stephen Harper said it was a case of continued “managerial incompetence and ideological stubbornness.”
Alliance justice critic and former Manitoba attorney general Vic Toews jumped on Cauchon’s statement that prosecutors will decide on a “case-by-case basis” whether to prosecute. Anyone who indicated an intention to register before Dec. 31, 2002, has been given six months to complete the process before they are in violation of the law.
“The law should not be used as a political tool in the hands of an elected official,” Toews said in a Jan. 10 letter to Cauchon.
“(The minister) should either instruct law enforcement officials to enforce the law as authorized by Parliament or take immediate steps to repeal it.”
Only Quebec and Prince Edward Island say they will use provincial police resources to enforce the law.
