TO KILL, OR NOT TO KILL? - LIBERAL PARTY

                                Picture from the Globe And Mail

The proposed private-member's bill introduced by Conservative MP Candice Hoeppner to scrap the gun registry elicited different responses from the Liberal Party, the NDP, and the Conservative Party. The following posts will analyze each political party's position, approach to the issue, and ultimately, each party's performance, beginning with the Official Opposition.  

LIBERAL PARTY 

                                             Photo from CBC 

Michael Ignatieff and the Liberal Party make it clear that they support the gun registry. Canadians, according to liberals, have a clear choice to make. As their website claims, it's a simple choice: "Either you support Canadian police officers, police chiefs, and gun victims, or you support Stephen Harper and the Conservative-NRA anti-cop coalition."

This statement introduced a new player in the ongoing debate. Liberals suggested that conservatives are being influenced by the National Rifle Association, an influential American pro-gun lobby group. For the moment, the "Conservative-NRA anti-cop coalition" seems less than credible. Liberals offer evidence; however, it seems to be more speculation than a source of concrete proof at this stage.

In any case, Liberal Party will vote against the private member's bill to scrap the gun registry. Liberal MPs don't have a choice. Ignatieff made the decision to whip his caucus, which forces his members of parliament to vote against the bill.

The way in which Ignatieff handled the gun registry issue is, so far, less than stellar. The suggestion of a Conservative-NRA link reeks of desperation. Ignatieff's decision to whip his caucus on a private member's bill is antithetical to the notion of a democracy.

The next blog post will examine how Jack Layton and the NDP have fared so far on the gun registry issue.