Mr. Speaker, when constituents write to members of the House they do not write without meaning. They write with passion, with reason and frequently with pain.
Recently a woman from a Toronto women's centre wrote to an hon. member of the other place to voice her support for Bill C-68. In her letter she pointed out gun related violence adds $70 million a year to Canada's health care bill.
That person responded by saying the firearms industry is worth more than $1 billion per year to the Canadian economy and that the GST alone ought to cover the health care costs.
At what level do we value a bullet over an arm or a leg? At what level do we value a trigger over a breath? At what level do we value a barrel of a gun over the life of a daughter or a son?
Bill C-68 is not based on economic gain. It is based on the value of life, the value of Canadians and the value of a country which is not rooted in a culture of violence or a culture of guns.