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NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
Northern hunters are welcoming news the Federal Government is planning to scrap the long-gun reigstry.

Long guns, like this rifle seen in October of this year in the hands of Uukkualuk Karetak, have long been a way of life in the North. Registering them under the Criminal Code is considered as too harsh by many, though some argue that the registry has helped with criminal investigations and preventing domestic crimes. - photo courtesy of Gord Billard

The Conservatives tabled a bill to scrap the long-gun registry in the House of Commons Oct. 25. As the Tories currently enjoy a majority government, the bill is expected to pass and the registry is expected to be officially scrapped within a month, said Dennis Bevington, the member for the Western Arctic.

"The long-gun registry is going to get scrapped," said Bevington. "I voted to scrap it in the last parliament on a very simple bill. My vote really is not that important this time, the Conservatives have enough votes to do whatever they want to do here."

Even though Bevington has voted to scrap the registry in the past, he is undecided on the current bill because it also aims to destroy all data collected to date by the registry.

"They have taken a very strange tack with this bill in that they’re now proposing to destroy all the records," said Bevington. "And this is after Quebec has asked them if they can take their portion of the records over."

In past votes on this issue that have failed to make it through the House of Commons, Bevington was not obligated to vote with the NDP, which has allowed members to vote in line with their constituents despite being decidedly against the bill.

"I’ve always felt that having a registry that was enforced by the Criminal Code was

too severe," said Bevington.

Whether or not he will be voting with his party this time, Bevington told News/North: "Well, on that particular issue, I think you’ll have to wait and see."

The long-gun registry has historically been disliked in the NWT, where Northerners tend to rely on hunting to supplement their food supply more than their southern counterparts.

"As soon as I heard the current government is going to do something about it, I was very happy," said Lawrence Ruben, chair of the Paulatuk Hunters and Trappers Committee. "What I think about it is that it’s great for the community and the local hunters."

Ruben said he had heard about many hunters losing their rifles because they were either not registered or were on loan from another hunter. This interfered with the hunters' ability to gather food and sustain themselves, he said.

However, not all Northerners agree that scrapping the long-gun registry is a good thing.

"The shelter network across Canada is strongly against scrapping the registry," said Lyda Fuller, YWCA Yellowknife executive director. Shelters – ours included – feel that it has protected women and it has saved women’s lives."

Shotguns and other long guns are the most common weapon used to terrorize and kill women at risk,, Fuller said.

"Frankly, from my perspective, with a law and order government that’s hell bent on building all these jails, they’re doing a really poor job protecting vulnerable people," she said.

RCMP G Division was not available to comment on its use of the long-gun registry and how police work may be affected in the North once the bill is scrapped.

The issue is up for debate during question period in the House of Commons until Tuesday, Nov. 1 and the bill will likely be put to a vote on Tuesday night, said Bevington.

The NDP will be fighting to keep the data already collected by the registry so it can be used by the provinces and territories if they so choose.

"Where I have a problem with what the Conservatives are doing right now is with the destruction of this data without offering it to the provinces and territories," said Bevington. "So this is where likely the fight will be over this bill.

"Quebec is gearing up to fight this, they said they’re going to fight this in court. And we will certainly be looking to amend the bill so that provinces can (have access to the data)."

The Canadian Taxpayers Association has pegged the cost of the long-gun registry at more than $1 billion.

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