Vic Toews

[Firearms Registry, February 13th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his hard work to help our government stop the needless targeting of hunters, farmers and sport shooters.

The member for Skeena—Bulkley Valley aspires to lead his party. He said:

I have always said that when there was a clear opportunity to vote to scrap the long-gun registry I would do just that.

On Wednesday, the member will have a clear opportunity to show his true leadership skills, stand up to his big union bosses, vote the will of his constituents and vote to end the wasteful and ineffective long gun registry.

[Public Safety, February 8th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the member is someone who, if he knew there was a plane with some of his constituents on it, men women and children, and he obtained information which came from a questionable source, he would do nothing. That is the position of the NDP. The NDP would not take the appropriate action to ensure that the lives of Canadians were protected.

That is why those members are over there. They are not fit to be trusted with the security of Canadians.

[Public Safety, February 8th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I cannot be any clearer. Our government does not condone torture and certainly does not engage in torture.

However, when we have information that Canadian lives are at risk we will act without delay. Canadians expect no less. The security of Canadians is paramount. We will use information that comes to our attention that may save the lives of Canadians, and we will do it without dispatch.

[Ending the Long-Gun Registry Act, February 7th, 2012]

moved that the bill be concurred in.

[Firearms Registry, February 7th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for all his hard work on this file.

We have heard debate on this issue for 17 years. It is time to stop treating law-abiding hunters and farmers and sports shooters like criminals.

I call on the members for Skeena—Bulkley Valley and Western Arctic to listen to their constituents and vote to scrap the long gun registry once and for all.

The member for Western Arctic even said that 95% of his constituents opposed the long gun registry. He should start listening to his constituents.

[Public Safety, February 7th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, information obtained by torture is always discounted. However, the problem is whether one can safely ignore the information if Canadian lives and property are at stake.

[Public Safety, February 7th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, Canada does not condone torture and does not engage in torture. CSIS and its employees are bound by Canadian law. Our government expects CSIS and security agencies to make the protection of life and property the overriding priority.

[Ending the Long-gun Registry Act, February 7th, 2012]

Madam Speaker, I thank the member for contributing to the debate to the extent that he has.

The process works. In certain cases, as in this case, closure is warranted. When opposition members deliberately stymie the passage of every single bill because philosophically they oppose them, that is also an abuse of the parliamentary process. Closure is a mechanism to correct the abuse by the opposition parties.

[Ending the Long-gun Registry Act, February 7th, 2012]

Madam Speaker, I thank the member for his hard work on this particular file. The people of Yukon are concerned about this long gun registry and this was an important part of his commitment to the people of Yukon.

For the opposition to bring up those types of frivolous amendments simply illustrates to the people of Canada that all those members are interested in with respect to this is a further 17 year delay.

[Ending the Long-gun Registry Act, February 7th, 2012]

Madam Speaker, I wanted to impress upon the members opposite how long this debate has been going on. Sometimes we have to use practical examples as illustrations that people can understand.

I think people can understand that someone being born and coming to the age of majority is a very long period of time. It is 18 years. As I said, it is almost as long as some of the members across the way have been alive.

This is not a rush through the House of Commons or the parliamentary process. For that member to twist my words in an untoward fashion like that is simply inappropriate.