AUGUST 28, 1995 For Immediate Release
"If Rock has any doubts he should conduct a national survey of police officers."
Yorkton - Today, Garry Breitkreuz, MP for Yorkton-Melville, declared Bill C-68 dead and he thanked all the Chiefs of Police in Saskatchewan for putting the final nail in the coffin. Last Thursday, Chief Greg McCullagh of the City of Prince Albert reported that he and all 18 other Chiefs of Police in Saskatchewan are opposed to the national registry for all firearms proposed in Bill C-68.
"At first, many people in Saskatchewan felt that the registration of all firearms was a good idea, but as they examined the details, they realized that it would accomplish the very opposite of what the government intended," said Breitkreuz. "It makes me very proud to represent them." He went on to list many of the Saskatchewan groups that are now on record opposing the Liberal government's flawed gun control bill:
- Responsible Firearm Owners for Saskatchewan
- City police officers in Saskatoon, Prince Albert, Weyburn, Moose Jaw, Estevan and Regina
- Saskatchewan Federation of Police Officers
- Saskatchewan Association of Conservation Officers
- Provincial Corrections Officers
- Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities
- The Saskatchewan Legislature
"If I've left anyone or any group off of the list please forgive me," said Breitkreuz. "I'm proud of the fact that Saskatchewan has taken a leadership role in opposing gun control in general and Bill C-68 in particular. People in other provinces should be encouraged by what can be achieved politically by the grassroots. This proves top-down, elitist, big-government policies can be beaten by the common sense of the common people."
"If Rock hasn't realized that his yuppie bill is dead yet and if he still thinks he has the support of the police for his national firearms registry, I challenge him to conduct an independent national survey of serving police officers, conservation officers and prison guards in Canada. And, if he's really brave he should also give every officer his personal guarantee that they will not be subject to harassment by their superiors if they give their honest opinion about the government's gun control laws." Breitkreuz concluded, " If the Senate doesn't kill this bill, then a Reform government will repeal it after we win the next election."
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1.Bill C-68 is dead, Allan Rock just isn't willing to admit it yet.
2.Bill C-68 is dead in the eyes of the public everywhere but in downtown Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.
3.If the Senate doesn't kill the Bill C-68 this fall then Reformers will kill it after the next election.
4.91% of RCMP officers oppose Bill C-68
95% of city police officers opposed
18 out of 19 Chiefs of Police in Saskatchewan opposed
93% of the jail guards opposed
Unanimously opposed by Sask Conservation Officers
Unanimously opposed by SARM (Sask. Assoc. of Rural Municipalities)