REPORT FROM PARLIAMENT

Economic challenges are currently front page news, but I want you to know that our government’s commitment to be tough on crime has not wavered. Criminals haven’t taken a break during the economic slowdown and we remain vigilant about the safety of communities.

Since forming government, we’ve taken action on crime. We’ve delivered 1,000 new RCMP officers and are working with provinces and municipalities toward hiring 2,500 new municipal police officers. The Tackling Violent Crime Act, which became law last year, includes tougher laws to keep gun criminals off the streets and stronger sentences for repeat violent offenders.

We continue to take action. Our latest step is new legislation that, if passed by parliament, will mean mandatory prison sentences for anyone convicted of organized crime-related drug trafficking or weapons offences. Judges will be able to impose mandatory prison terms for crimes where drugs are sold to children or where sales are made near schools. The legislation proposes tougher penalties for trafficking date-rape drugs and would raise the maximum penalties for producing illegal drugs from 7 years to 14 years in prison. In addition, murders connected to gangs and organized crime will be automatically classified as first-degree.

We must continue to invest in public safety - taking guns out of the hands of gangs and murderers – not in funding the costly gun registry that creates administrative nightmares for law-abiding hunters, farmers and target shooters. Gun owners and shooting clubs will know that my colleague, Garry Breitkreuz, MP for Yorkton-Melville, has introduced a Private Members’ Bill to scrap the long-gun registry.

Billions of dollars later, the long-gun registry remains a sore issue for many Canadians, particularly those in rural Canada. We all know it’s rare to find a legally registered gun used in a crime. Criminals just don’t register their guns.

Under Bill C-301, firearms owners will still require a license, background checks, continuous eligibility, references and safety training, and information will still be available to police. In addition, restricted and prohibited gun registries will remain.

Mr. Breitkreuz’s bill will take steps to streamline the Firearms Act, making much-needed changes to the Authorizations to Transport (ATT). It would also merge Possession Only Licenses (POL) and the Possession and Acquisition License (PAL). Allowing a single license makes perfect sense, will save money and has no impact on the safety of Canadians. Other measures in the bill include adjusting the license renewal period to 10 years and changing the grandfathering dates for 12(6) handguns.

In addition, if adopted, the Bill invites the Auditor General to conduct a public safety test on all gun control measures, every five years. While we know the gun registry price tag was $2 billion in 2004 – although budgeted at only $2 million - many of the true costs of the firearms program have been hidden. Canadians deserve to know the truth and whether gun-control laws are cost-effective and produce results in improving public safety.

Hon. Gerry Ritz is the Member of Parliament for Battlefords-Lloydminster www.gerryritzmp.ca