The federal government should destroy the data gathered by the soon-to-be-scrapped long-barrel gun registry.
That information was volunteered by law-abiding rifle and shotgun owners on the assumption it would be protected the same as volunteering information on a Canada Census form or an income tax return.
Quebec and other provinces demanding rights to the files are fumbling the issue. It was private information passed on with the best of intentions. Handing over “confidential information” to provinces trying to override federal jurisdiction would be a serious erosion of privacy laws.
Canadians adamantly oppose disclosure of personal material detailed in census or taxation forms. Personal information gathered from the long-barrel registry is no exception.
Quebec is threatening to take the federal government to court to obtain the information.
“We are formally, ferociously opposed” to Ottawa destroying the registry files, said Robert Dutil, Quebec’s provincial public security officer.
“We know that the federal government in the last (Conservative) election campaign, said it would abolish the registry,” Dutil said. “We don’t agree with that. . . . But they never said they were going to destroy the records.”
Dutil said recently that Quebec wants to keep a “respectful dialogue” with Ottawa, but did not rule out legal action if that province’s demands aren’t met.
How can “respectful dialogue” occur if one party is threatening court action?
On Dec. 6, 1989, a mentally disturbed Marc Lepine stormed Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal and shot dead 14 women and four men, then put the gun to his own head.
Quebec ignited a controversial debate that eventually led to the then-ruling federal Liberals imposing the long-barrel registry and otherwise leaving the gun laws essentially unchanged.
Long-barrel owners across Canada complied with the new rules and surrendered personal information on application forms. Among the questions asked was the mental history of the applicant.
Fair enough. The same questions were asked under the old gun laws when applying for a Firearms Acquisition Certificate.
That information was kept confidential and no province sought disclosure.
So why are circumstances different today?
The RCMP reportedly accesses the registry 14,000 times a day. But are they accessing the long-barrel registry or the gun registry in general?
And is it common knowledge that routine traffic checks on a driver automatically include a check with the gun registry? It’s all part of the package of information when police from all Canadian forces access CPIC, the Canadian Police Information Centre.
Anybody deemed a possible threat, or anyone who has had firearm privileges revoked due to irrational behaviour in the past, are already known to authorities. A simple criminal record check over CPIC will bring that up.
But when it comes to personal information disclosed in confidence by non-offenders to a centre under federal jurisdiction, it’s nobody’s business on a provincial level.
The NDP, once divided on the long-barrel registry, now claims unification in opposing the government’s plans. Not surprising since it was Quebec voters who made the NDP the official Opposition.
NDP member Jack Harris argued that scrapping the registry’s database would be tantamount to creating a $2-billion bonfire.
The Tories shouldn’t bow down to pressure from Quebec, or any other province, as the Liberals did in dealing with this costly, pointless legislation. The Tories call it intrusive, expensive and ineffective.
“The long-gun registry data is under federal control,” said a spokesperson for Public Safety Minister Victor Toews. “Our legislation will destroy this data.”
Case closed.
Rick Zemanek is an Advocate editor.