KENORA – Greg Rickford announced that as of October 31, 2012, the long-gun registry records, with the exception of registry information related to Quebec, have been destroyed. “In addition to the lC, it can now be confirmed there are no records of the long-gun registry for anyone who lives outside the province of Quebec,” shared Rickford.
“The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH) is pleased that the government has followed through on its commitment to the outdoor community across Canada, and completed the destruction of the records associated with non-restricted long guns,” said Greg Farrant, Manager of Government Affairs and Policy. “We strongly supported Bill C-19, and the inclusion in that legislation of a mechanism that would allow for the destruction of the records associated with the registry. We are delighted that the Harper government has followed through on its promise in such a timely fashion”.
“This is a great news story for Northwestern Ontario, in fact for all Northern Ontarians, who made it loud and clear that they wanted this registry not only dismantled but to be ensured that the records would be destroyed,” states Rickford.
“The deletion of the long-gun registry records marks a significant milestone in this Government’s commitment to eliminating the wasteful and ineffective $2 billion long-gun registry,” stated Rickford. “This was one of our first priorities when we won our majority Government last year. Promise made, promise kept”.
“It was immediately evident when Bill C-68 was passed by the Liberal government in the late 1990’s that the system was unworkable, would be ruinously expensive and would never result in the promise of saving of lives and enhancing public safety. This was re-confirmed by the Auditor General of Canada who made it clear the government of the day was unable to demonstrate how either of those goals had been achieved, despite wasting over a billion dollars of taxpayers money. The Prime Minister, Minister Toews, Parliamentary Secretary Candice Bergen and dozens of MP’s have been steadfast in their commitment to rid us of this albatross. By focusing on crime prevention and other means to address gun violence on our streets, they are targeting the real causes of crime which is in no way related to the proper use of firearms by trained, legal and law abiding hunters and recreational sport shooters. They should be commended for their diligence in this matter,” said Farrant.
Rickfords stated, “The long-gun registry was a major failure, targeting law-abiding hunters, farmers and sport-shooters for using the tools they require to support their daily work – work that keeps our economy strong, stable and prosperous”.
“Our Government is making our streets and communities safer by targeting criminals who use firearms, not law-abiding Canadians. Make no mistake about it, the leader of the NDP has gone on record as saying if they form government, they will re-institute the long-gun registry. This is not consistent with the expressed views and values of an overwhelming majority of constituents across Northern Ontario, including First Nations,” stated Rickford.
The deletion of data in the registry related to long-guns follows the Royal Assent of Bill C-19, the Ending of the Long-Gun Registry Act, on April 5, 2012. On October 9, 2012, the Government of Canada launched its appeal of the Quebec Superior Court ruling in the matter of Attorney General for Quebec v. Attorney General for Canada et al to work towards eliminating the long-gun registry records in Quebec.