Liberal Public Safety Critic Mark Holland today called on the Harper government to release key RCMP reports that top law enforcement officials say proves the long gun registry works.
“Consistent with their culture of deceit, the Harper government is sitting on documents showing the gun registry’s efficacy,” said Mr. Holland.
“Last year, in advance of the first vote on their Bill C-391 to kill the gun registry, former Public Safety Minister Peter Van Loan withheld a vital government report showing that law enforcement uses the gun registry over 11,000 times a day. Now they are doing it again – quashing any and all information that might conflict with their ideology.”
Deputy RCMP Commissioner William Sweeney and Toronto Police Chief and President of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police Bill Blair, in their testimony before the House of Commons Public Safety and National Security Committee, revealed the existence of a recent RCMP report and internal audit which demonstrate the efficiency of the Canadian Firearms Program, including the long gun registry.
“It is clear from the Speaker’s ruling in the case of the Afghan detainee documents that the government cannot prevent us from viewing documents that are relevant to our work,” said Mr. Holland. “Most certainly, a report by the RCMP that gives us real data on the effectiveness of the gun registry is something Canadians need to see and Parliamentarians need to consider.
“The government must release these reports immediately,” he said.
