Debates of April 27th, 1998

Fisheries

[Norman E. Doyle, Progressive Conservative, St. John's East, NL]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the minister of fisheries.

News headlines this weekend saw some scientists and environmentalists recommending that the cod as a species be put on the endangered list. In the end they listed cod as vulnerable. This would appear to mean that the cod stock is not yet ready for commercial fishing.

Given that premise, will the minister please inform the people and the fishermen of Newfoundland what the alternatives are for the thousands of people who depend directly on the fishing industry? Would he please tell us?

[David Anderson, Liberal, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member has misread the committee on the status of wildlife in Canada's designation as vulnerable for cod stocks in the Atlantic. That in fact indicates that this is a matter of serious concern which I think is well recognized by every member of this House, particularly those who have read the report of the House committee on fisheries and oceans.

I think the member should also recognize that cod stocks are not a single mass out there, that are different stocks. There is the possibility of some fishing in some areas, for example on the south coast of Newfoundland, this year as there has been in past years.

[The Speaker]

Colleagues, that would bring to a close our question period today. We have three distinguished visitors with us.

Presence In Gallery

[The Speaker]

I wish to draw to the attention of members the presence in our gallery of Mr. Maïgari Bello Bouba, Minister of State for Industrial and Commercial Development of the Republic of Cameroon, and Mr. Claude-Joseph Mbafou, Minister of Tourism of the Republic of Cameroon.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear.

[The Speaker]

Colleagues, I would also draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of the hon. Lorne Taylor, Minister Responsible for Science, Research and Information Technology from the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear.

[The Speaker]

Today we are going to have tributes for two of our former colleagues who passed away, Reverend Bob Ogle of the New Democratic Party and Mr. Carlo Rossi of the Liberal Party. The first tribute will be for Reverend Bob Ogle. Our first intervener will be the Secretary of State for Latin America and Africa.

The Late Father Bob Ogle

[David Kilgour, Liberal, Secretary of State (Latin America and Africa)]

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the government, I am extremely pleased to say a few words today about our former colleague, the hon. member for Saskatoon East.

Father Bob Ogle, as members know, after a 15 year battle with cancer died on April 1 of this year in Saskatoon. He was born on Christmas Eve, 1928. He was one of five children of Irish Catholic parents. He lived his early years in Rosetown, Saskatchewan.

In 1946, after graduating from high school, he enter St. Peter's Seminary in London. He was ordained a priest in Rosetown in 1953. The next few years were spent furthering his education and serving in parishes in Saskatoon and region. During that time he also founded the Catholic Centre in Saskatoon and the St. Pius X Seminary.

In 1964 he went to northeast Brazil as a voluntary missionary where he was engaged in pastoral activities, organizing literacy, farming co-operatives and medical programs.

In 1969 he co-ordinated a large scale relief operation and house building program following the disastrous floods in the Valley of Mundau in Brazil.

He came back to Saskatoon in 1970 as pastor of a large parish where he served for five years.

Following that he travelled to many countries in Africa and Asia to study development projects, concluding with the book When the Snake Bites the Sun .

He was elected as the member of parliament for Saskatoon East in 1979, was re-elected in 1980 and served until 1984.

I do not know that he could have survived the 211 seat tidal wave of the Tories in 1984, but knowing Father Bob he might just well have survived that campaign.

He is also the author of two other books, North South Calling in 1987 and A Man of Letters in 1990. In 1993 he produced a series of nationally televised retreats called “Ogle & Company” and continued to write letters and many articles for various newspapers, even as his health deteriorated.

He was named an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1989 and received Saskatchewan's Order or Merit in 1995.

Throughout the illness he showed remarkable courage and maintained interest and care for those close to him and for our global neighbours. A constant advocate and help to him through his political work and declining health was his sister, Mary Lou.

He is mourned by the Ogle family: Mary Lou, his sister; Marguerite Stevens of Qualicum Beach, B.C. and her daughters, Jennifer French, Francine Kebe, Marianne Kebe and Kathryn Kebe; his brother, Charles of Saskatoon and their children Shannon Barclay of Coleville, Sheila Anderson of Calgary and Kelly of Calgary.

Our departed colleague is mourned by Bishop James Weisgerber and the priests and people of the Diocese of Saskatoon.

Always close to his heart was the mission in Brazil and anyone watching this might wish to make a donation to the Brazil Mission Fund in care of the Diocese of Saskatoon, 100-5th Avenue North, Saskatoon.

Prayers for Father Ogle were said on April 5 at Holy Spirit Church and also at the chapel of St. Anne's Home. Funeral mass was April 6 at Holy Spirit Church.

Mr. Speaker, you and I will both recall vividly about 24 months ago when Father Bob wanted to meet with you about a dinner he wanted you to host to promote a better understanding of Canadians, of our media and the so-called developing world. Such was his eloquence that you hosted that dinner, which was a great success despite your early reluctance, if I may say so, to do so because of cost reasons. No one could say no for long to our departed colleague and his many, many good causes.

One of his characteristics, which all colleagues who were here with him cherished, was his constant cheeriness in the face of adversity. No matter how much pain he was in he always had time for a friendly word and laugh with every one of us or anybody who might work in these halls. Only mutual respect and friendliness came from Father Bob.

A subject he and I never discussed was Mother Teresa, but I am certain she was a role model for him in his work in Brazil and elsewhere. She and Robert both did much that was, to use her phrase, beautiful for God.

All of us in this place and across the country and planet owe much to him. He will not be forgotten.

[Bill Blaikie, NDP, Winnipeg—Transcona, MB]

Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I rise today to pay tribute to my former colleague, Father Bob Ogle, the NDP MP for Saskatoon East from 1979 to 1984. I had the privilege of being elected at the same time as Bob. We were rookie MPs together in this House, although he was a fair bit older than me. We became good friends and that friendship extended beyond the time when he had to leave this parliament. As a matter of fact, I had occasion to visit him in January in Saskatoon, just a couple of months before his death. I was very glad to be able to visit him at that time.

As has already been stated, he had a long struggle with cancer and with other illnesses. If my memory serves me right, it was shortly after the 1984 election that he was given something in the nature of six months to live. Bob, even when he was health critic for the NDP, used to say that he was not all that fond of doctors. After the diagnosis he used to say that he was going to try to live as long as he could to prove them wrong. I must say that he proved them wrong time and time again by living until April 1, 1998, with all the illnesses that beset him.

Much of the biographical material on Father Bob has already been covered by the secretary of state, but I just want to note a couple of things. He left this House not because he was defeated, but because he was obedient. At that time the Pope made a ruling, to use speakership language rather than ecclesiastical language, that priests could no longer run for or seek elected office. I think at the time the Pope was trying to deal, for better or for worse, with priests who were running for office in the United States and throughout Latin America, but Bob was caught in that net, if you like.

There was never any doubt in his mind as to what he would do. He was a priest first and if he was ordered by the Pope not to run again then that was his first obligation, given his vows, and he did not seek re-election in 1984, something which a great many of us regretted. We felt at that time that the House of Commons lost a great member of parliament and a great servant of the Canadian people.

But Bob never looked back. He went on to try to deal with the issues that were of concern to him in another way. It has already been mentioned that he had a passion for trying to develop the Canadian media in a way that made them more sensitive to developmental problems in the third world. He went to an awful lot of effort to try to set up a series of sitcoms that would reflect the problems people experienced in the developing world. He undertook a number of other endeavours in that respect.

I saw Bob, of course, not just as a fellow New Democrat, but also as a fellow Christian who was influenced by liberation theology and by the effect that the global economy and global capitalism was having on the poor in the third world. Bob was inspired by that and by his experience in Brazil where he saw what was actually happening to people. He came back here to embrace a political tradition that he thought was the most faithful to what he had learned there and what he had learned as a Roman Catholic priest. He applied that without fear or favour, even when it came to the NDP.

I would be remiss if I did not say this, and I think Bob would want me to say it, even though it might not make some people happy. Throughout his life he considered himself to be pro-life. He considered himself to be a foe of the enemies of life wherever he found them, whether he found them in Brazil, whether he found them in global capitalism, whether he found them in nuclear weapons or whether he found them in the phenomenon of abortion. He would often get up in this House and say that he was in favour of life and that caused him to take a view which he saw as consistently pro-life, being against nuclear weapons, being against an economic system that ground the faces of the poor, to use a biblical expression, and being against capital punishment.

We lost a great member of parliament in 1984 and we lost an even greater Canadian this spring when Father Bob finally succumbed to his illnesses.

On behalf of my colleagues I would like to extend our sympathy to his family and in particular to his sister, Mary Lou, whom I knew and who was a great support to him over the years. He will be greatly missed.

[Roy H. Bailey, Reform, Souris—Moose Mountain, SK]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to pay tribute to Reverend Bob Joseph Ogle who served as the NDP member of parliament for Saskatoon East from 1979 to 1984.

As mentioned, he died on April 1 after a long battle with cancer. As a former MLA for the Rosetown—Elrose constituency, I had the privilege of meeting Bob Ogle on a number of occasions. He was born in Rosetown. I am told in visiting there it was a very proud day for the town of Rosetown when he was ordained priest in the town of his birth.

Although he is best known in his native province, this great humanitarian's dedicated approach to human life and human justice gained him international recognition. His philosophy for which he was so respected can best be summed up by what he said on the day of his nomination, September 17, 1977:

I believe that all human rights are all of a piece; ignore one right and you jeopardize all the others. That is why a single issue approach to rights will not work. If we are really pro-life we have to protect human life, from conception through to death. This requires an active, lifelong concern for a just social system.

On behalf of my colleagues in the official opposition, and I well recognize all the members of this House, I pay my respect to a missionary, to a world traveller, to an author and a renowned Canadian politician.

[Louis Plamondon, Bloc, Richelieu, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join with all of the parties in this House to pay tribute to Bob. I arrived here in 1984, and he left in 1984, so I did not have the opportunity to sit with him, but I have often heard reference made to the spirit of social commitment he brought to this House.

He sat here until 1984. A priest, he had to leave because the Vatican decided that priests should no longer be members of any parliament. Out of obedience to the Pope he gave up his political career.

His career was in fact four careers. First of all, he was an influential priest. He was also an extremely devoted missionary, a highly conscientious politician, and later a committed writer. He served in Brazil, Africa and Asia.

We remember his years in politics mainly for his committed defence of the right to life. He spoke often on euthanasia, capital punishment and abortion. He constantly fought for the right to life.

He also had a great belief in the media and felt they had a vital role to play in raising public awareness of social injustice. After his departure from politics, even during his serious illness, he continued to speak his mind regularly in the press.

He was the recipient of numerous honours in recognition of his abilities and commitment. These included honourary degrees, the Order of Canada and the Order of Saskatchewan.

He inspired numerous religious leaders in his home province and throughout Canada. The premier of his province said of him “He devoted his life to helping others, and acquired an international reputation as a man with a social conscience, committed to peace, justice and the fight against poverty”, while church authorities in Rome commented that no one could better incarnate the vision and spirit of the Vatican II ecumenical council than Father Ogle.

On behalf of the Bloc Quebecois, I offer my most sincere condolences to all his family, his friends and his party.

[Rick Borotsik, Progressive Conservative, Brandon—Souris, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the members of the Progressive Conservative caucus join in expressing our sympathy to the family of Father Bob Ogle, both his immediate family as well as his religious and spiritual family. Reverend Bob Joseph Ogle died on April 1 in Saskatoon after a courageous and hard fought 15 year battle with cancer.

The 69 year old priest was also a well known missionary, politician and author. In 1979 he became the first Saskatchewan priest to be elected as member of parliament representing the New Democratic Party in Saskatoon East.

Father Ogle is reported to have taken as his personal message a verse from Isaiah: “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles”.

His conscientious work as a priest and as a member of the House gives ample witness to his dedication to his beliefs and to the people he represented.

We give thanks for his service in the House. He did indeed fly like an eagle.

Our sympathies to the family of Reverend Bob Joseph Ogle.

[The Speaker]

My colleagues, from time to time I permit myself an intervention.

I served with Bob Ogle for a number of years. Every so often he would pop in when he was in Ottawa just to say hello. Perhaps I might tell you two little stories about him to highlight the kind of man he was.

When I became Speaker he wrote me a note asking if I would host a dinner, as mentioned by the hon. minister earlier. I was not too keen on hosting the dinner. I do not know if members know the term being cadged, but it is similar to being conned. He used to con me regularly. He was in my outer office and my secretary came in and said there was a person to see me, a Reverend Bob Ogle. I asked what he wanted. She said “I think he wants you to host a dinner”.

He came in and he looked awfully healthy standing there. “Bob”, I said, “how are you doing?” He said “I am dying”. I said “You have been dying for the past 10 years. What is it you want?” He said “Seeing as it could be my last supper, will you host that dinner?” So I did.

There is another story about him. The hon. member for Winnipeg—Transcona mentioned that he was first and foremost a priest. When he was thinking of leaving we were over in the Confederation Building. I was not part of this conversation. It was reported to me. One member said to him “You know, Bob, you have been so successful here; you have been successful in everything you have been doing. How can you just leave? How can you just walk out like that?” He is reported to have said “I was not called to be successful; I was called to be faithful”.

Bob Ogle was faithful to his principles. In my view he was a good priest. He was a good Canadian. More important I guess than all of those things, he was a good man and we as Canadians can always do with good men. We are going to miss him.

We will now go to tributes for another member who shared with us, Mr. Carlo Rossi, a member of the Liberal Party.

The Late Carlo Rossi

[Alfonso Gagliano, Liberal, Minister of Public Works and Government Services]

Mr. Speaker, during the Easter break, we learned the sad news that our former colleague, Carlo Rossi, had passed away.

I had the privilege of knowing Carlo. Almost everyone was on a first-name basis with him. To all his colleagues in this House and the community at large, he was an affable man and a friend to all. Carlo was always there.

I was privileged to know him before being elected myself to this place. As a police detective, he was a distinguished member of the Montreal Italian community. Carlo Rossi's name was already known in this House before he was first elected to this place in 1979 to represent the riding of Bourassa, which encompasses Montréal-Nord in the greater Montreal area. He represented this riding until 1988.

When I first set foot here as a new member in 1984, Carlo had just been appointed deputy whip. Like everyone who comes to Ottawa for the first time, I was a little lost. Carlo was there to advise us, to help us find our way and play our role as members of parliament. He did so with patience and eloquence.

What struck me the most during my first few months here, in Ottawa, was the fact that, as busy as he was as deputy whip—having been a whip myself for a number of years, I am familiar with the difficulties and time demands of such a position here on Parliament Hill—Carlo never forgot his riding. Not only did Carlo spend weekends in his riding, as most of us do, trying to be everywhere at once, but he managed to attend six or seven events between Saturday night and Sunday. He was everywhere. Even during the week, when he was asked to by an organization in his riding, he would take the train to Montreal, but the next morning he was back here.

I think he was a truly remarkable member of Parliament, a member who not only took part in every debate in this House and fulfilled his responsibilities as deputy opposition whip, but also represented his riding well.

We all know Carlo had a tremendous voice. We all know how this House can be noisy, especially during question period. Despite all the noise, the voice of Carlo would just come out. Everybody, whether on the opposition benches or the government benches, would hear Carlo. Every Wednesday an hon. member leads in the singing of our national anthem to open the House. If Carlo were among us, he would lead that singing of O Canada. He was a good Canadian. He loved his family. He loved his community. He was very well respected. He loved this place and I am sure we will all miss him.

I had the privilege of meeting with him once in a while. Although he was no longer an elected MP, when he attended social and civic functions people and organizations would call on him for help.

We will miss Carlo. On behalf of the Prime Minister, my Liberal colleagues and I think all members of this House, I would like to extend my deepest sympathy to his wife, Raymonde, his children, Chantal and Roberto, his grandchildren and all the other members of his family. We will all miss Carlo.

[Grant Hill, Reform, Macleod, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the official opposition is honoured to pay tribute to Carlo Rossi, who passed away April 11, 1998. Carlo came to the House of Commons in 1979. He sat as the member for Bourassa for nearly 10 years. In his previous life he was a dedicated police officer with a career distinguished by fairness.

His word was his bond in police work. I was fascinated to hear the story of how he would negotiate with hostages. If he had given his word to a criminal who had taken a hostage, that word was good. If he made a promise he stood by that promise. He brought the same basic rules of fairness to his work here in parliament. Members have told me that when he made a deal it was in fact a deal.

As a decorated police officer he brought a fresh perspective to parliament, a perspective that showed how closely he had dealt with both criminals and victims alike.

Mr. Rossi was an ideal politician, with his experience as a police officer and his life experience, without the restrictions imposed by political parties. On behalf of my party I would like to extend our condolences to his family. This is a great loss to Montreal and to Canada.

[Louis Plamondon, Bloc, Richelieu, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I had the honour and the pleasure of sitting with Mr. Rossi from 1984 to 1988. When I arrived here as a Conservative member in 1984 there were many of us, and I found myself sitting on this side of the House with the opposition.

When Mr. Rossi would rise to speak with his powerful voice, I must admit that he did not look like an easy person to approach. I saw him for a few weeks, without getting to know him any better. Then one day I met him in an elevator and discovered a totally different person. Here was a charming and very polite, distinguished and friendly man, interested in getting to know his fellow members of parliament.

Following that encounter I shared many meals in the cafeteria with him and also with his colleague, Mr. Malépart, who has unfortunately left us too. Mr. Rossi had been in the military and he also had a distinguished career as a police officer. He was feared and respected as a criminal investigator, and he was instrumental in capturing some very well known and astute criminals.

I also discovered that he was a man of culture. He sat on the culture and communications committee. His comments were very much to the point and all members, regardless of their political stripes, would listen carefully.

He was also very involved at the social level, perhaps as a result of the influence of his colleague, Mr. Malépart. I remember the fight that he led, along with his friend, Mr. Malépart, following the first Conservative budget regarding, among other issues, the indexation of old age pensions. When these two took the floor the House shook not because there were shouts, but because of the heartfelt arguments that were put forward, arguments that had been conveyed to them by the public in the numerous meetings and functions that they attended in their ridings.

War veterans chose Mr. Rossi as their spokesperson. At the time veterans had many demands about health care and other issues and they would always go to him because he was a former police officer. They recognized him as an honest and just man, as a man capable of standing up for them.

Mr. Rossi was also very comfortable with new Canadians. He was well known among Montreal's allophone population. He could speak several languages fluently, which is not the case of many of us here. He was very comfortable with all minorities from the Montreal region, and he had warm and frequent contacts with them.

On my behalf, and on behalf of my party and my colleagues, I wish to offer to his wife and two children my most sincere condolences. I also offer my sympathies to the constituents of Bourassa whom he served so well and to his party which he served so well.

[Bill Blaikie, NDP, Winnipeg—Transcona, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I too would like to pay tribute to Carlo Rossi on behalf of my colleagues in the New Democratic Party.

I served in the House with Mr. Rossi from 1979 to 1988 and I remember him well. I remember the voice and I remember the lively heckling of which he was capable from time to time between himself and particularly other Quebec MPs of different political persuasions. We all know how lively that can be. Carlo Rossi was particularly good at it. He always had a sort of mischievous twinkling smile on his face whenever he was engaged in that kind of activity.

He is not someone whom I knew well but he is certainly someone whom I served with in the House. I pay tribute to his work as a member of parliament, to his work before he came here as a police officer, to his skill as a negotiator, and to his reputation as someone who was honest and fair and could be relied on in his work with everyone he dealt with.

I make special mention of the fact that as a police officer it was significant in 1987 when he changed his mind with respect to capital punishment. I remember that debate very well. It was a difficult but exciting time for the House of Commons. There was a free vote coming. It was a significant decision that the House was to make. People were under a lot of pressure one way or another, depending on which position they were already holding and depending on who expected them to do what.

Certainly Mr. Rossi was under the kind of pressure all of us were under, but as a police officer he certainly had an effect on the debate when he went from someone who favoured capital punishment to someone who opposed it. I pay tribute to him for that as well.

[David Price, Progressive Conservative, Compton—Stanstead, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservative caucus wishes to express its most sincere condolences to the Rossi family.

He was known as a man who kept his word. His courage as a police officer in Montreal for more than 30 years and his dedication to the public service as a member of the House are examples to all of us. His community was always a priority.

In saluting the life of Carlo Rossi we recognize the support given to him by his family. That love and that support helped him serve the people of his riding, the city of Montreal and all of Canada through his active membership in the House of Commons. We are grateful to them and to Mr. Rossi. Canada is a better place because of the contributions he made during his life.

We are grateful to him and to his family. Canada is a better place because of his lifelong contribution.

[The Speaker]

I guess it is a sign of my age but I served with both of the gentlemen who were mentioned earlier today. I served with Carlo Rossi. It was mentioned that he was a man of his word. Something that was not mentioned was that he was the chief negotiator for hostage takings in Montreal. Whenever there were hostage takings they would call on Carlo Rossi and he would go in and negotiate with the people. He was a man of great courage.

In 1972 members may recall the Olympics in Munich, Germany, when hostages were taken, citizens of Israel, and were shot almost summarily by terrorists. It was not known to me until one night when we were talking that Carlo Rossi was in charge of the security at the Olympics of 1976 in Montreal.

The hon. minister of public works mentioned Carlo's voice. Yes, it was a voice that carried. I recall one time, when we used to work out in the Confederation Building, that I heard someone singing Christmas carols. I went in to get changed and there was only one person there. It was Carlo and he was getting dressed. I said “Carlo, who was the fellow who was singing in here?” He said “It was me”. I said “Come on, you can't sing like that”.

About two weeks later I heard him sing Ave Maria at the Christmas party. I know many of you were not here at the time. It was such a beautiful rich voice from a beautiful and in many ways very rich man.

I am glad I had a chance to serve with him. You would have enjoyed him. He was a good member of parliament. He will be missed.

I on behalf of parliament give our most sincere condolences to his family.

Government Response To Petitions

[Peter Adams, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to two petitions.

Committees Of The House

[Peter Adams, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present the 29th report of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs in relation to its order of reference from the House on certain statements attributed to members of the House in the March 8, 1998 Ottawa Sun that may have brought into question the integrity of the House of Commons and its servant, the Speaker.

Via Rail Commercialization Act

[Jim Gouk, Reform, West Kootenay—Okanagan, BC]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-394, an act respecting the commercialization of VIA Rail Canada Inc.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to say this is a very timely bill but I would be incorrect if I said that. In actual fact it should have been introduced a long time ago.

VIA Rail loses hundreds of millions of dollars a year. The target it introduced in its latest annual statement indicated that it would be able to bring it down to about $200 million a year. That is about as far down as VIA can get it. That is over half a million dollars a day. It is time we put an end to this.

It is timely in one sense. It seems ironic that I am introducing a bill that will seek to stop the erosion of taxpayers' money by over half a million dollars a day on the eve of the day that we are to vote on compensation for hepatitis C victims. The government is saying it does not have sufficient money. This might be a good way to take it toward that goal.

It has another effect, that is to prevent something that is very serious, a predator move by VIA Rail in the past against the private sector at a time when we are looking at public-private partnerships as a way out of things.

There is not tremendous detail in the bill other than to provide a directive toward its disposal. I leave it to the House and to the committee when it reaches the committee stage to add the details necessary for the betterment of all taxpayers.

[The Speaker]

I thank the hon. member for the very succinct intervention. I meant timely. I am glad he did not go into detail.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

Petitions

[Lee Morrison, Reform, Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK]

Mr. Speaker, today I have the honour of presenting five petitions similar in content from Saskatchewan residents of the five following districts: Weyburn, Wapella, Rocanville, Oxbow, Macklin and Cut Knife.

The five petitions have a cumulative total of 694 signatures. This will bring to 1,291 the number of signatures on petitions I have presented recently with respect to Bill C-68.

The petitioners point out that Bill C-68, which was by the way promoted partly on the basis of falsified data, will not impede the criminal use of firearms and will impose a major unnecessary burden on law enforcement officers.

They therefore call upon parliament to repeal Bill C-68 and all associated regulations and to pass new legislation designed to severely penalize the criminal use of any weapon.