Skip to content

Long-guns start and end Wednesday evening all-candidates debate

THUNDER BAY – A federal election debate featuring candidate’s in the city’s southside riding started and ended with the same topic – the potential return of the long-gun registry.
376081_88434323
(The Canadian Press file)

THUNDER BAY – A federal election debate featuring candidate’s in the city’s southside riding started and ended with the same topic – the potential return of the long-gun registry.

During his opening remarks at the Wednesday evening  forum at the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium, Thunder Bay-Rainy River NDP candidate John Rafferty unequivocally spoke out against a registry and said his party has no intentions of bringing it back.

That didn’t stop the final question of the night, coming from Northwestern Ontario Sportsman’s Alliance president Dennis Ukrainec, asking Rafferty about the discipline he and former NDP, now Green Party MP Bruce Hyer, faced for opposing the elimination of the registry in 2012.

“The NDP has been absolutely clear. We have no intent on bringing back the failed Liberal long-gun registry. We all know this was an initiative that divided Canadians and we will not be turning back the clock,” Rafferty said.

Rafferty also acknowledged Hyer frequently trumpeting his standing up to NPD Leader Tom Mulcair on the issue but said he is never asked about it, accusing Hyer of trying to “make his legend grow.”

Conservative Moe Comuzzi said comments made by Mulcair counter what Rafferty is telling his constituents.

“When Thomas Mulcair says a new and improved long-gun registry will be brought back without going overboard and giving the police the tools to do their job, that’s a registry. If it looks like a registry, smells like a registry, it’s a registry,” she said.

“And, Mr. Rafferty, I’d like to know how you’re going to vote when you’re asked because your leader will reinstate a long-gun registry without going overboard.”

She also claimed the Liberals would return the registry.

Liberal candidate Don Rusnak also said his party, which introduced the registry in 1993, would not bring it back.

“We have some of the toughest gun laws in the world here in Canada and that’s false advertising by the Conservative Party of Canada,” he said. “I can tell you as a hunter…I don’t believe in the long-gun registry.”

Green Party candidate Christry Radbourne also said she would vote against the reinstatement of a long-gun registry.


 





push icon
Be the first to read breaking stories. Enable push notifications on your device. Disable anytime.
No thanks