NEWS RELEASE

October 1, 1996 For Immediate Release

PROVINCIAL CONSTITUTIONAL CHALLENGE OF BILL C-68 COULD SAVE TAXPAYERS MILLIONS

"Opposition by provinces shows just how out-of-touch Allan Rock is on how best to control crime."

Ottawa - Today, Garry Breitkreuz, MP for Yorkton-Melville, thanked the governments of Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Alberta, Ontario and Yukon for their decision to challenge the constitutionality of Bill C-68. "I am very pleased that the provinces finally acted on the promises they made last year," commented Breitkreuz.

Here is what Breitkreuz said today in the House of Commons: "On behalf of the taxpayers of Canada, I would like to thank the governments of Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario and Yukon for their constitutional challenge of the Liberal government's flawed national firearms registration system."

Last week, the Provincial Justice Ministers argued publicly:

• that the registration of rifles and shotguns will not be effective in reducing crime,
• that gun registration does nothing to reduce crimes involving firearms or smuggling,
• that gun registration is an inappropriate use of scarce resources right across the country,
• that the federal government has repeatedly failed to produce evidence of a correlation between a firearms registry and a reduction in crime, and
• that it's time to target criminals who use weapons to commit crime, not penalize the law-abiding citizens under the guise of gun-registration

"If this court challenge is successful then the hundreds of millions saved will be able to be redirected to fighting real crime and real criminals by putting more police officers in our communities rather than keeping them back in the office processing useless bits of paper."

"While I am still waiting to see the legal documents, the media reports are very encouraging. Not only will the provinces challenge the federal government's constitutional authority to create a licensing and registration system but I also understand that the provinces of Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Alberta and Yukon will also opt-out of administering the new federal gun control laws." Premier Mike Harris promised Ontario firearm owners that he would "ensure there is no provincial money, manpower or other resources made available to Allan Rock to further promote his dictatorial legislation." "Premier Harris has an enviable record of keeping his promises and I have no doubt that he will keep this one too," concluded Breitkreuz.

For more information please call:
Yorkton: (306) 782-3309
Ottawa: (613) 992-4394

ADDITIONAL TALKING POINTS

(1) Mr. James H. Barker, a retired town councillor for Dauphin, Manitoba analyzed the costs of implementing a firearm registration system for the Town of Dauphin and conservatively estimated that by the year 2003, the Town of Dauphin will have to hire two more RCMP constables and two police clerks to handle the additional workload. He says his estimate assumes a minimum problem with registration evasion. "The ratepayers of this town will have to budget a minimum expenditure increase of $200,000 per year. While I in no way intend to state that my assumptions apply to all areas of Canada, it is interesting to note that if these costs are at or near average, then the total cost to the lower levels of government in Canada for firearms registration would be around $540,000,000 per year," testified Barker. He also reported that similar cost increases will be experienced by the judicial and the prison system but neither has been factored into the cost estimates provided by the federal government.

(2) On September 21, 1995, Ontario Solicitor General, Bob Runciman appeared before the Senate Standing Committee on Constitutional and Legal Affairs and stated, "In Ontario alone, just dealing with the paperwork generated by registration would take between 10 and 15 officers off the street and put them behind desks, shuffling registration forms. That is the equivalent of about 30,000 hours of police time each year - just to deal with red tape. In national terms, 85 million dollars would put another 1,000 customs agents on the border; 500 million dollars would put an extra 5,900 police officers on the street. The federal alternative is to use the money to register every shotgun and bolt-action .22 in Canada. No great brilliance is required to figure out which would have a greater impact on crime."

(3) Alberta estimates that the cost of administering and enforcing the firearms registry is $800,000 a year. [Edmonton Sun - September 27, 1996]

(4) As of August 1996, here is where the government is spending your hard-earned taxpayers' dollars:

• 27 positions in the Firearms Registration System Group
• 23 positions in the Policy and Programs Group
• 17 positions in the Partnerships Implementation Group
• 15 positions in the Project Managers Group and Project Control Office Group
• 12 positions in the Finance and Administration Group
• 5 positions in the Communications Group
• 3 positions in the Legal Group
• 3 positions in the International Issues Group
• 2 positions in the Procurement Group

Millions have been already been spent and a total of 107 jobs have been created in an attempt to licence all law-abiding firearm owners and register all legally-owned guns. However, the government has been unable to produce one shred of evidence to prove how these measures will reduce the criminal use of guns,

These 107 positions are just bureaucrats working in the Department of Justice - Firearms Centre

• it does not include the RCMP in Ottawa working in the Restricted Weapon Registration System
• it does not include RCMP assigned to the enforcement of other gun control laws in Ottawa or in the provinces
• it does not include the 100 jobs promised for the new firearms registration centre in New Brunswick

(5) Frank McKenna, Premier of New Brunswick was quoted in the Saint John Telegraph Journal that "he has received assurances from officials in Prime Minister Jean Chretien's office that Ottawa has no plans to revoke or remove any of the 100 jobs that are to be moved to [his riding] Miramichi to run the new firearms registry office."