December 08, 1994
ROCK SAYS, "WE GOVERN BY WHAT IS RIGHT!"
Breitkreuz says, "Right for whom?"
Ottawa - Garry Breitkreuz, MP for Yorkton-Melville says opposition to the Liberal government's gun control proposals are starting to have some effect on Justice Minister Allan Rock. In response to two questions in the House of Commons yesterday, Rock flippantly dismissed opposition from the provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta Justice Ministers saying, "I have a decent respect for the opinion of my provincial and territorial counterparts but in the final analysis this is a matter for this federal government to deal with."
Breitkreuz asked Rock, "The Legislative Assembly of the province of Saskatchewan has voted unanimously to oppose any further gun controls and the chief law enforcement officer for the Province of Saskatchewan is concerned about how he will be able to enforce gun control laws which the majority of voters in the province know are unfair and unnecessary to control violent crime. Has he taken a head count of all the Justice Ministers in this country to find out which of them support his proposals and which do not?" Visibly agitated by Breitkreuz' question, Rock answered, "We govern by what is right." Referring to the Liberal gun control proposals tabled last week in the House of Commons, Rock dictated, "This is the government's assessment of what is right."
So what have Canadians learned by these exchanges? We learned that Rock has indeed consulted "with officials of every provincial and territorial attorney generals' ministries" but that he really doesn't care what they think, he is going to do what ever he thinks is right. Not what the majority of Canadians think is right. Not what the provincial Justice Ministers think is right, even though they are the ones who have to enforce these ineffective gun control laws. Not what the police on the street think is right. Not even what the Provincial Legislatures think is right. And certainly, not what the majority of our municipal governments think is right. "Rock's only justification for this intrusive and costly, bureaucratic make-work project is that he and the Liberal Cabinet think it is "right". Unfortunately, democracy and majority rule take a back-seat to what the Liberals think is right. It is this type of arrogance and elitist thinking that killed the Mulroney government and this proves the Liberals are headed down that same road. Frankly, I fear a government that won't listen to the people a lot more than I fear a law-abiding citizen with a gun," concluded Breitkreuz.
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