Vic Toews

[Mont Tremblant International Airport, September 23rd, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, the CBSA, in fact, believes that Canadians deserve value for their money and programs that produce results.

That is why we ensure that all government programs are reviewed on a regular cycle to ensure that they are effective and efficient, and that they respond to the priorities of Canadians.

Through this strategic review process the CBSA identified better ways to meet its mandate and align its priorities with the priorities of Canadians.

[Firearms Registry, September 23rd, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his lengthy service in the RCMP. I am glad the member had the courage of his convictions to stand in this place and represent his constituents.

The voters will remember those 20 coalition MPs who flip-flopped on this issue. This is the furthest that we have come to dismantling the wasteful and ineffective long gun registry and we will continue to work with that member to in fact scrap the long gun registry.

[Firearms Registry, September 23rd, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, this government is not prepared to criminalize the actions of law-abiding hunters, farmers and sports shooters and treat them as criminals, as members of the coalition would have us do.

This is the closest we have come to dismantling the $2 billion wasteful and ineffective long gun registry. We will continue to work to scrap it. We continue to favour abolition of the wasteful and ineffective long gun registry.

[Firearms Registry, September 23rd, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, as we can see, the real agenda of the Bloc Québécois and its coalition partners is in fact to recriminalize the issue and to ensure that hunters and farmers are penalized on a criminal basis.

Twenty coalition MPs originally supported the simple and straightforward bill to scrap the long gun registry. When under pressure from their party leaders, they turned their backs on their constituents and they voted to keep the registry.

The Conservative Party does not believe in treating law-abiding hunters, farmers and sportsmen as criminals.

[Hurricane Igor, September 22nd, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, we in fact extend our deep-felt sympathy to those affected by this tragedy.

Canadians expect that the federal government's response to an emergency will be seamless and that key decisions can be made quickly and effectively when disaster strikes. We work very closely with the provincial officials who are on the front lines along with the municipal officials, and we are there, in fact, to support them financially through the agreements that have been made.

[Firearms Registry, September 22nd, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for this question and for his efforts on this file.

The hard-working, law-abiding gun owners of Manitoba and Canada know that the long gun registry does not work. I would call upon the member for Churchill to stand in this House and, instead of voting with her downtown Toronto leader, represent her constituents in rural Manitoba, as her father does in the Manitoba legislature, where he has consistently spoken out against the long gun registry, together with the NDP in that province who do not support the long gun registry.

[Firearms Registry, September 22nd, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, that question is beneath contempt.

Let me be clear. While we support the licensing of people and the registration of prohibited and restricted weapons, we do not support the wasteful long gun registry. We support initiatives that in fact target violent, dangerous criminals who prey upon innocent people. The member should reflect upon her record of gutting effective legislation in this House, as should the Liberal caucus .

[Firearms Registry, September 22nd, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, to think that member would even speak about protecting victims, after that member stood up and gutted Bill C-9 on the issue of conditional sentences. Apparently, she would rather see criminals out on the street than behind bars. As for protecting law-abiding citizens, we have nothing to answer to that member for. We do not support the wasteful long gun registry. We support measures that protect victims.

[Firearms Registry, September 22nd, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal leader has whipped his members to support the wasteful and ineffective long gun registry by promising to implement unconstitutional amendments to Bill C-391.

We hope that the Liberals who voted for Bill C-391 will not deceive their constituents by changing their votes merely to satisfy the Liberal leader. Think of the victims. Don't think of the agenda of the Liberal leader.

[Firearms Registry, September 22nd, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, unlike the Liberal Party, this government will continue to put the rights of victims over those of criminals. We are proud of the progress that we have made in giving victims both a greater voice and greater access to services. We will continue to correct the failed Liberal record. Our opposition to the long gun registry is clear. We know that criminalizing farmers and duck hunters does not increase public safety, nor does it protect victims.