Mr. Speaker, violent crime continues to rise. The murder rate is down only because of timely medical intervention. In Toronto, in 1998, 23% of the murders involved firearms. By last year, the number of murders caused by firearms in Toronto had more than doubled to 52%.
Why does the government continue to strip police of resources, while pumping money into an ineffective gun registry that does not reduce violent crime or keep guns out of the hands of violent criminals?