News.

The shot heard round the country:

Long-gun registry on its way out

 

By Eric Wilkins, Staff Writer

n Wednesday of last week,
Bill C-19—better known
as the bill to abolish the

long-gun registry—was passed by
the House of Commons with a vote
of 159 to 130. Stephen Harper has
long been in public opposition to

the registry, and after achieving a
majority in the last election, finally
had the power to do away with it.
While the other parties voted
almost entirely against the bill, two
NDP representatives, Bruce Hyer,
MP for Thunder Bay-Superior
North, and John Rafferty, MP for
Thunder Bay-Rainy River, took the

Conservatives’ side.

“Jack Layton and the NDP
knew my position over almost a
decade and four elections, and
allowed me to run on that promise
to my constituents; The NDP has
never had an official policy on the
registry,” said Hyer.

Rafferty issued a similar
comment: “My personal position
and that of my constituents has
been clear for some time. For each
and every federal election that I
stood as a New Democrat candidate
I stated, unequivocally and publicly,
that I was against the Long Gun
Registry and would vote to abolish
it if I was elected. Voters and New
Democratic Party leadership alike
knew of this clear commitment each
and every time.”

Despite this, the two MPs, who
also failed to tow the party’s line on
the second reading of the bill, will
face “consequences” according to
interim NDP leader Nycole Turmel.

Since the passing of C-19 all but
disposes of the long-gun registry,
and with it, the data related to it,
Public Safety Minister Vic Toews
was asked if he knew when exactly
the data would be destroyed, and
he answered, “All I can indicate is
that we have made a commitment

 

to get rid of the registry and that
includes disposing of the data.”

Many police chiefs have voiced
their concern over the passing of
C-19, since it takes away what they
deem a useful tool in investigations.
“Information is the lifeblood of
any investigation, and this is one
less piece of information that we
have at our disposal,” said Niagara
Regional Police Deputy Chief Joe
Matthews, “We’ll adjust to the
change.”

On the other side of the fence,
Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. Vice-
President James Eetoolook was
happy with the outcome, “NTI
fully supports the safe use of
firearms in Canada, but when the
Firearms Act first came into effect
in 1995, it hindered the ability of
Inuit hunters to put food on the
table. The Firearms Act never took
into account the realities of life in
Nunavut. Firearms are essential
tools used by Inuit to hunt for food
and provide for our families.”

The bill still has to make the
rounds of the Senate, but there
is little doubt that Royal Assent
will be granted due to the strong
Conservative majority in the
Canadian Senate.

Anti-racist groups rally against neo-Nazis on trial

By Dylan Hackett, News Editor

n February 13, anti-hate
groups gathered outside
the Vancouver trial of two

young men accused of setting

a Filipino man on fire in 2009.
Protesters representing local groups
of Filipino Canadian Youth Alliance
and the Philippine Women’s Centre
stood outside the courthouse where
lawyers met to address the case for
white supremacist group Blood and
Honour members Alistair Miller,
20, and Robertson De Chazal,
25—who are accused of dousing

a Filipino man with gasoline and
igniting him outside on a couch on
Commercial Drive in December
2009, and subsequently assaulting
and shouting racial slurs at a black
man who tried to intervene in the
assault.

Although the trial was
postponed until March 12,
protestors outside spoke for
tougher action against organized

4

hate groups like Blood and Honour.

“We're here to stand and
condemn all acts of violence and
racism-based hate crimes,” said
protest organizer Christina Panis,
who added, “This is a matter of
public safety that’s not being taken
seriously. We need a resurgence
of activism and organizing in
the community, so we're not
complacent but proactive—not
reactive—to racist events.”

The international neo-Nazi
movement has been in the media
recently after being hacked by
Internet group Anonymous.

In an organized attack on the
email database and websites of
the groups, titled “Operation
Blitzkrieg,” Anonymous obtained
the information of 16,000 people
and posted the information to the
public, including 74 Canadians.

“(These organizations] are
going to have to be even more
careful in terms of who they trust,
who they associate with,” said

= spe

Helmut-Harry Loewen, University
of Winnipeg sociology professor.
“They're going to have to look
over their shoulders. The police
will have access to this info once
it becomes more widespread.
Employers, neighbours and so on.”

Anonymous also issued a
statement, the usual conduct for the
organization who in the past year
has targeted Visa and MasterCard
for their closure of Wikileaks
donation accounts.

“Your incomprehensible
actions, and your reluctance
to accept the Freedom and
Equality that every single human
being possesses by right from

  
   

u

birth, causes the birth to hatred
and worldwide Racism,” said
Anonymous in a press release.
“Your misdirected politics and
your hate filled crusade against
humanity have not only blurred
your perception, but also

affected countries worldwide...

You have combined the ideals

of industrialization with the
abomination of mass murder, a
circumstance that led to destruction
of human life, in a scale never seen
before... You intimidate people that
go on the streets protest for their
ideals, and attack your political
opponents.”