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

For Immediate Delivery

March 26, 1999

SASK. GOVERNMENT LOBBIED TO REPLACE THE RCMP WITH PROVINCIAL POLICE FORCE

"The RCMP are taking their orders from Ottawa instead of from the people of Saskatchewan."

Ottawa – Yesterday in the House of Commons, Garry Breitkreuz, MP for Yorkton-Melville, fired another warning shot at the Liberal government about the damaging effects that Bill C-68, the Firearms Act, was having in his home province. "On September 19, 1995, during the Parliamentary debate of the gun registration bill, I sent a memorandum to every Senator titled, "Bill C-68 WILL DESTROY TRUST IN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM." Breitkreuz detailed the consequences of passing legislation that was opposed by millions of citizens, opposed by police on the street and opposed by a number of provincial governments. "It was disheartening to see the Senate ignore my warnings in 1995 and even more disheartening to see my prediction coming true," said Breitkreuz.

Here’s the statement as recorded in Hansard on Thursday, March 25, 1999:

Mr. Garry Breitkreuz (Yorkton—Melville, Ref.): Mr. Speaker, last week the members of the Canadian Police Association told me that the people of Saskatchewan were losing faith in the criminal justice system. Do you want to know how bad it is? On February 20 the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation passed the following resolution with 84% support: WHEREAS the opposition to Bill C-68 continues to grow, and WHEREAS several provinces including Saskatchewan, have opted out of enforcement and administration of the bill, and WHEREAS the federal government intends to use the RCMP to enforce C-68 in spite of overwhelming opposition to this legislation in Saskatchewan, BE IT RESOLVED that the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation recommends that the Government of Saskatchewan replace the RCMP with a provincial police force that is more accountable to the people of Saskatchewan. If respect for the law erodes, the work of the police becomes more difficult. Law-abiding gun owners in Saskatchewan are even calling the RCMP the "Chrétien cops". See what stupid, ineffective gun control laws do?

"Police need the full and unqualified support of all law-abiding citizens in order to maintain peace and order in our society," said Breitkreuz. "With the passage of Bill C-68, the Firearms Act, the federal government tainted a healthy relationship between the people and the police by making simple ownership of a rifle or a shotgun a violation of the Criminal Code. Seven million law-abiding gun owners are now labeled as potential criminals. Before passage of this crazy law, police saw law-abiding gun owners as fine upstanding citizens who assisted them in solving crimes and helped police keep their homes, their neighbourhoods and their communities safe. Now, an increasing number of Chiefs of Police see gun owners as suspects and a source of future criminal charges – a way to build their bureaucracies without confronting real criminals or solving our real crime problems. Many citizens see the RCMP taking their orders from Ottawa instead of from the people of Saskatchewan who pay their salaries," concluded Breitkreuz. "Expect more demands by the people to send the RCMP back to Ottawa."

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The Office of Garry Breitkreuz, M.P.

Yorkton: (306) 782-3309
Ottawa: (613) 992-4394