September 21, 2000

Attn: Newspaper Editor or Station Manager

In the past few months, a number of media outlets across the country have made editorial comments, published columns and/or letters to the editor that criticize firearm owners for expressing their fears that the registration of firearms will lead to confiscation. This letter will show your readers and listeners that the Liberal government’s track record on banning and confiscating registered firearms is well established.

On February 16, 1995, Justice Minister Allan Rock made this promise in the House of Commons: "It is crucially important, in my judgement, that as we debate this question of registration, in respect of which there are strongly held views on both sides, that we do so on the real facts. Let us confine ourselves to the reality of the situation. Let us not hear that the registration system will cost $100 per firearm. Let us not hear that it is a prelude to the confiscation by the government of hunting rifles and shotguns." The Canadian Firearms Centre website adds reassuringly: "There is no reason to confiscate legally owned firearms."

Tell that to the law abiding, government licenced, owners of the 553,000 "legally owned", registered handguns that the Liberals banned with the passage of Bill C-68 on December 5, 1995. The Liberals banned these guns despite the fact that the RCMP had absolutely no evidence to show that these registered firearms were any threat to public safety. Sooner or later the government will confiscate these 553,000 registered firearms from their legal owners - and in accordance with Liberal tradition of violating the fundamental property rights of its citizens - confiscation will proceed without compensation!

In fact, with the passage of Bill C-68, Section 117.15(2) of the Criminal Code gives the government such sweeping power that they could ban any or all firearms in Canada and not even the Supreme Court of Canada could overturn it. This is because C-68 gives the government the absolute power to prohibit any firearm if "in the opinion of" the Governor-in-council (really the Minister of Justice) they don’t think the firearm should be or could be used for "hunting and sporting purposes." And, not even the Supreme Court can substitute their opinion for the Governor-in-council’s opinion. Why did the Justice Minister reject the amendment to this powerful section of Bill C-68, which was proposed by the Liberal dominated Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights? Why would the Liberals give themselves such awesome power if they didn’t intend to use it?

Sincerely,

Garry Breitkreuz, MP

Yorkton-Melville