Garry Breitkreuz, M.P.
Yorkton-Melville		 News Release

For Immediate Delivery

August 17, 1998

DEPT. DENIES EXISTENCE OF AXWORTHY’S ‘OPEN LETTER’ ON GLOBAL GUN CONTROL

"I had to file an Access to Information Request to get an ‘Open Letter’. Makes you wonder what’s in it?"

Yorkton – "The government’s obsession with secrecy never ceases to amaze me," said Garry Breitkreuz, MP for Yorkton-Melville. He was commenting on the denials by officials in the Department of Foreign Affairs of the existence of an ‘Open Letter’ which Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy delivered at ‘The Oslo Meeting on Small Arms’ held July 13-14, 1998. "Reuters even quoted from Axworthy’s ‘Open Letter’ in a wire story titled, ‘Small arms reductions theme of new Oslo talks’ and now they say it doesn’t exist?" asked the incredulous MP.

Breitkreuz explained, "In response to what I thought was a routine request, the Library of Parliament first advised me on July 29th that the Foreign Affairs officials were not sure whether they could release the ‘Open Letter’. I asked them to keep pressing the matter. Now the Library tells me that the same government bureaucrats deny that Axworthy’s ‘Open Letter’ exists. As unbelievable as it sounds, I had to file an Access to Information Request in a last ditch attempt to get the Open Letter."

"I don’t know what the Minister is trying to hide," commented Breitkreuz, "Reuters already printed the most damning quote from Axworthy’s so-called ‘Open Letter’." The Reuters article said, "These are the weapons that cause the most death and injury. Small arms and light weapons designed and manufactured for defense or internal security purposes should be restricted to military and police organisations only, and then only in such quantities that can be justified for legitimate defense or security needs of those countries," Axworthy wrote. "Governments should be required to resume responsibility for the transfer of military small arms and light weapons from their territory."

Breitkreuz added, "Axworthy’s statement is only noteworthy in that it is remarkably similar to former Justice Minister Allan Rock’s 1994 quote, "I came to Ottawa in November of last year with the firm belief that the only people in this country who should have guns are police officers and soldiers." He continued, "The Liberal Government’s gun control agenda was made clear last November by Deputy Prime Minister Herb Grey." Grey was in Washington signing an international arms control agreement when he said, "This could be the start of a global movement that would spur the development of an instrument to ban firearms worldwide similar to our land-mines initiative."

"If they’re so proud of their plans to ban firearms worldwide, why go to all the trouble of keeping it a secret from the Canadian people? With the passage of Bill C-68, the Liberal government gave themselves the absolute power to ban all guns in Canada. Now it seems they want the United Nations to have this same type of power over the rest of the world," concluded Breitkreuz.

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