Ottawa, February 9, 2009- Today in the House of Commons, my colleague and friend Mr. Gary Breitkreuz introduced a Private Members Bill to abolish the long-gun registry once and for all.
“I am proud that our Government has taken action to get rid of the long-gun registry once and for all,” said Tony Clement, Minister of Industry Canada and Member of Parliament for Parry Sound-Muskoka. “I am glad to be able to deliver on one of my promises to the people of Parry Sound-Muskoka by throwing my support behind this Bill.”
This long-gun registry has cost the taxpayers billions of dollars only to create more bureaucracy and red tape. Legitimate gun clubs like the National Firearm’s Association have had to bear the burden. In fact, illegal smuggling by organized crime is by far the main source of firearms on our streets.
In 1995, the previous Liberal government told Parliament that the long-gun registry would involve a net cost of just $2 million. By the summer of 2006, the net cost of the firearms program had exploded to exceed $1 billion. That’s five times the original projected cost! Even the Auditor General stated that Parliament was misinformed about many of these costs at the outset.1
“Today is an important day for all legitimate gun owners in Canada and in Parry Sound-Muskoka,” said Tony Clement.
