Keith Martin plans to vote against Bill C-391 and keep long gun registry

Some Canadian Taxpayers Federation supporters have written Liberal MP Keith Martin on the gun registry and he has responded. Martin voted in favor of Bill C-391 to abolish the gun registry when it was second reading. He is a former Reform and Canadian Alliance MP who turned Liberal in 2004. But despite these roots and his previous vote, his email correspondence suggests he will vote against Bill C-391 at third reading. Here is a copy of one of Martin's standard replies.

----- Original Message -----

From: Martin.K@parl.gc.ca

To: (withheld)

Sent: Thursday, April 22, 2010 2:43 PM

Subject: RE: Vote against long-gun registry

Thank you for writing to me on the long-gun registry and Bill C-391. I have had a number of discussions about this with the leadership of my party, which has agreed to put together a plan to improve the gun registry by eliminating registration fees, not making it a criminal offence for people who forget to register, streamlining registration forms, etc. This will be released shortly.

I voted in favour of Bill C-391 during its second reading in the House so that it could be assessed in committee. This allowed representatives of police associations, public safety experts, victim’s organisations, and gun users to voice their views on this important issue. During this process, the police have clearly stated that they need the registry for their protection. Although we know that law-abiding gun owners are not the problem, and that the registry was a well-intentioned but deeply misguided response to the murders at l’École Polytechnique in Montreal, I will not block something the police feel they need for their safety as they put their lives on the line for us every day. I will always support what our police say they need for their protection. It is for this reason I will be voting against this bill.

On the matter of whipped votes, please rest assured I have a long track record of supporting the wishes of my constituents in the House of Commons over the wishes of my party.

Sincerely,

Dr. Keith Martin, P.C., M.P.

Member of Parliament for Esquimalt - Juan de Fuca

www.keithmartin.org

By: Lee Harding
Posted: April 23, 2010
Topic: Federal

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