NRA One Step Closer to Giving Canadians the Right to Bear Arms

A piece in the National Post by Kathryn Blaze Carlson: Tory candidate flip-flops on gun registry should put up a few red flags.

The former president of Quebec’s largest police union has reversed his position on the gun registry now that he is the Conservative candidate in the federal election. Jean-Guy Dagenais, who on Tuesday evening announced his candidacy in the Bloc Québécois-held riding of Saint-Hyacinthe-Bagot, is no longer a strong public advocate for the survival of the registry, which the Tories have long pledged to kill.

The Conservative position on the gun registry is nothing new, and a candidate towing the party line, not news.

But what's with all the police officers joining the Reform movement? If they win this election, they will have just as many cops as religious fanatics. An odd and somewhat dangerous combination.

I've written often on Canada's history of gun control and the American NRA's involvement to halt it. And Liberal Mark Holland's Conservative opponent was given $10,000 from the gun lobby to help with his campaign.

Gun owners across the country are pouring thousands of dollars — nearly $10,000 so far, acknowledged Alexander — into his effort to defeat Holland, at $39.10 a pop.

Alexander says it is a relatively small amount that pales in comparison to the $130,000 to $150,000 he has raised since 2009 in his effort to canvass the riding and reach out to voters.

Although Alexander says websites like canadiangunnutz.com and turfmholland.ca are not affiliated with his campaign, he welcomes the contribution of “all Canadians” because he, too, believes the long-gun registry is bad policy.

It's interesting that they promote Jason Kenney's Canadian Taxpayers Federation, who have also provided candidates for Harper, like John Williamson. Another was parachuted into Tim Hudak's Ontario ranks.

Despite knowing that most Canadians support gun control, Stephen Harper has never gone off message. He will shut down the gun registry if elected. And he's sticking to that message because he needs the support of groups like Gunnutz, who are gun nuts.

I didn't sleep much last night. For the first time during this campaign I was genuinely frightened, and it takes an awful lot to frighten me.

Harper's strange interview with Peter Mansbridge, that looked more like a Conservative infomercial. The Conservatives promoting the NDP and the polls that suddenly took a strange turn.

But it has also invigorated me. And keeping my friends close and my enemies closer, I went back to Harper's past for answers, and found them with the National Citizens Coalition.

We are being played.

But what's important is that we don't lose focus. The NDP still has the best chance in the West, so in many ridings, we throw our support behind those candidates. We do the same with the Green and Liberals. Whatever we can do to get rid of Harper.

I mean do you really want a group of gun nuts determining how we vote?

May 2 vote and vote wisely. And listen to groups like Catch 22 Harper Conservatives, Leadnow.ca and Canadians Rallying to Unseat Stephen Harper.

And above all. IGNORE THE POLLS!!!!