Madam Speaker, with respect to the statistics quoted by my hon. colleague in the years 1994 to 2000, as he pointed out the overall rate of homicides was down so using the actual number is misleading. The important statistic to look at is the percentage of homicides that were committed with the use of a firearm. That in fact has gone up 3% in the case of murders and almost 20% in the case of attempted murders. The way he attempted to misrepresent those statistics is misleading.
Further, the Canadian Police Association, against the advice of many of its rank and file members, initially endorsed the plan of the Liberals. However, the association said the support was contingent upon demonstrated results of a decrease in the use of firearms in the commission of violent crimes. In fact, all the statistics show the trend to be otherwise and is ample reason to scrap the plan. It is clear the Liberals are not prepared to do that.
My hon. colleague said that the plan will be fully implemented by next year. If the statistics next year and in the following years continue to show an increased--