Mr. Speaker, the hon. member spoke a lot about her own feelings and emotions and those of her family and friends. I would like to present some facts.
The Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians had this to say:
—it is clear to Canada's emergency physicians that the gun registry has, in fact, worked and the number of deaths from inappropriate firearms use has dropped dramatically.... So we will now all be unwilling participants in a social experiment that will undoubtedly place Canadian lives at risk.
The Canadian Network of Women's Shelters & Transition Houses stated:
It is actually in rural communities that the rates of firearm death and injuries are higher. And because of their availability, rifles and shotguns are the guns most often used in violence against women....
The Federal Ombudsman for Victims of Crime said:
—the majority of victims' groups we have spoken to have made it clear: Canada should maintain its long-gun registry.
The RCMP and Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police have stated:
—the long-gun registry: contributes to community and police officer safety and provides preventative and investigative value to law enforcement and the communities...
Why would the government want to eliminate all of the data that is absolutely needed by these people to do their work?