Moldy Peaches

The Conservative government has introduced legislation that will effectively kill the federal gun registry - first the long gun and next the short. I have on more than one occasion slammed this decision and will take one more run at the ineffective decision.

Justice Minister Vic Toews and Security Minister Stockwell Day both must have done back flips on their way to the press conference. They can now rest easy - assuming it passes which given the numbers in the House look dubious.

The public is actually split of this decision. The most recent polling done - May 22 by IPSOS (sorry password) specifically on the Registry show a deep divide amongst Canadians. The question posed to individuals was the following:

Assuming that mismanagement and cost issues could be brought under control, which option do you want the new Harper Conservative government to do?



There was a significant regional split. Folks in the east and west wanted the long-gun scrapped while people in Central Canada wanted it preserved.

The Conservatives are free to pursue their own policies, it is the benefit of being government. The real issue is the confusion of facts. Toews states:
The long-gun registry is by far and away the biggest issue in many ridings in Western Canada.

Here is the latest issues based polling being done in Canada. The gun registry is not even on here. Now, one could argue that it falls into a few categories - corruption, crime, etc. A feeble argument, but one none the less. You can make the case that all the "other" responses were for the gun registry. Or, we could all face the facts and admit that Toews is full of shit.

IPSOS December 2005

Fixing our health care system - 29%
Corruption (Gomery/ running a scandal-free and ethical government)- 10%
Managing the economy - 8%
Fiscal responsibility (no debt)/Government spending - 6%
Protecting the environment - 5%
Reducing taxes - 5%
Social programs (child care, poverty, child poverty,seniors)/Pensions (old age, disability, etc.) - 5%
Education - 3%
Moral issues (e.g. abortion, same-sex marriage) - 3%
Employment/ Jobs - 2%
Keeping Canada together - 2%
Fixing our trade relationship with the US - 2%
Criminal justice system - 1%
International affairs - 1%
Military/ defense - 1%
Immigration policies - 1%
Other - 7%
Don't know/Refused - 7%

Rural and urban values are somewhat different, but not apples to automobiles different. People in Climax, Saskatchewan or Brooks, Alberta and Truro, Nova Scotia want clean drinking water, lower taxes, better roads, jobs for their children and grandchildren, a dependable health care system and a solid education system. They may be more inclined to cite moral issues and the gun registry as an issue, but the number one issue. Not a chance. Toews has anecdote confused for data. Hearing from a constituent or two doesn't constitute a trend.