My 'Joe Canadian' Award Today Goes to Mark Holland and His Work on the Gun Registry

My 'Joe Canadian' award goes out to Canadians who like Joe 'I am Canadian' from the beer commercials, do something to promote Canadian identity. The Gun Registry and our tough gun laws, always helped to define us.

After a little maneuvering and BLACKMAIL, a bill to scrap the long gun registry has passed second reading. But as Michael Ignatieff states ; "It's not the end of the firearms registration system tonight. It's only the beginning of a parliamentary process that will be pursued in committee and in the senate."

" ... his caucus supports the "principle of gun control," and he personally believes it should include long guns. But he said the issue has divided urban and rural Canadians, and faces "resistance" in rural Canada. He said his caucus is working on proposals to bridge that gap.

"We want to listen to victims groups, sports hunters, legitimate gun owners to find a way to rebuild legitimacy for the gun registry in rural Canada. That's not a thing you can do overnight."

Ignatieff said changes would start with a "simple principle: we are for a firearms registration system that includes all firearms, but there is a problem of resistance in rural areas. It could be possible to decriminalize but to maintain a firearms registration system for long guns."

I know there's been a lot of criticism aimed at the NDP and Liberals who supported the bill. However, we have to remember that besides being blackmailed, they also had to listen to their constituents. That's what being a Member of Parliament is supposed to be about. Obviously the Ref-Cons didn't listen to their urban constituents.

Mark Holland has worked diligently to hold onto the registry, taking his cue from the police, who find it a valuable tool. Besides we are giving up millions of dollars in revenue.

New Democratic Party MP Joe Comartin has said the bill's passage is almost an "inevitability" because of support from the opposition, but Liberal Party MP Mark Holland vowed the fight wasn't over. "This is deeply concerning," Holland told the Star, adding that the implications of "dismantling the long-gun registry are very serious" and noting that Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair has credited the registry with being an important crime-fighting tool.

So, his name is Mark and HE IS CANADIAN!