The New York Times
November 6, 2000
Canadian PM Savages Opposition Over Gun Control
By REUTERS
OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's low-key election race roared into life on Monday when Prime Minister Jean Chretien claimed that a vote for the main opposition party on Nov. 27 could leave the low-crime country awash with firearms.
Chretien, denying that he was launching a personal attack on Canadian Alliance leader Stockwell Day, nevertheless attacked his right-wing opponent over a vow to scrap the government's tough 1995 gun control legislation.
``This law is very, very important for Canadians and I want them to know that if they vote for Stockwell Day there is a chance that people will be able to buy firearms at will as they can in certain U.S. states,'' Chretien told reporters after a speech to members of his ruling Liberal Party in Ottawa.
Day says that if he wins the election he will scrap the gun control law, which was enacted after a lone gunman killed 14 young women in a Montreal school in 1989.
Chretien, reminding his audience that firearm homicide rates in the United States are more than eight times higher than those in Canada, said the legislation was one of his government's great achievements.
Canada prides itself in having far fewer violent crimes than its southern neighbor and the gun control debate goes to the heart of the country's national identity. There are 250 million firearms in the United States, almost one for each person, compared to 7 million for 30 million Canadians.
One main plank of the 1995 law is a costly gun registration scheme which requires the listing of all firearms. Previously only handguns had to be registered.
The scheme is very unpopular in western provinces such as Alberta -- Day's main power base -- where people see it as an infringement of their human rights.
OPPOSITION SAYS GUN CONTROL LAW IS ``A DISASTER''
``(The gun control law) is a disaster. It will not reduce crime,'' Day said in an interview broadcast over the Internet on Monday. The Alliance says given that criminals are unlikely to register their guns, the only way to clamp down on crime is to hire more police to enforce existing laws.
Day and Chretien are likely to resume their attacks in two televised leadership debates this Wednesday and Thursday.
Chretien -- seeking to paint Day as an extremist who will destroy Canada's generous social programs and the country's communitarian spirit -- also repeated his assertion that an Alliance win would mean the right of Canadian women to have abortions could be strictly curtailed.
Canada's right-wing parties -- the Alliance and the minority Conservatives -- have sharpened their electoral offensive after opinion polls showed the Liberals 13-16 points ahead after the first two weeks of the five-week campaign.
Day -- under pressure from his advisors to drop his so-called ``agenda of respect'' and attack Chretien -- on Saturday said the prime minister had been corrupted by the amount of power he had amassed since taking power in 1993.
Earlier on Monday, Day highlighted what he said were Chretien's many broken promises.
``These are things which stand as an indictment of this government,'' he told a news conference.
The Conservatives also stepped up a gear on Monday, releasing anti-Chretien television adverts which took the form of a spoof on commercials for CDs.
``Here it is Canada! Jean Chretien's Greatest Lies. All 101 over the last seven years on one disc,'' said one advert, referring to Chretien's reversals on issues such as free trade and eliminating a national sales tax.
Chretien -- who called the election less than 3-1/2 years into his second five-year mandate to capitalize on his opinion poll lead -- declined to comment when asked about the adverts.
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/world/international-canada-.html?printpage=yes
November 6, 2000
Canadian PM Savages Opposition Over Gun Control
By REUTERS
OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's low-key election race roared into life on Monday when Prime Minister Jean Chretien claimed that a vote for the main opposition party on Nov. 27 could leave the low-crime country awash with firearms.
Chretien, denying that he was launching a personal attack on Canadian Alliance leader Stockwell Day, nevertheless attacked his right-wing opponent over a vow to scrap the government's tough 1995 gun control legislation.
``This law is very, very important for Canadians and I want them to know that if they vote for Stockwell Day there is a chance that people will be able to buy firearms at will as they can in certain U.S. states,'' Chretien told reporters after a speech to members of his ruling Liberal Party in Ottawa.
Day says that if he wins the election he will scrap the gun control law, which was enacted after a lone gunman killed 14 young women in a Montreal school in 1989.
Chretien, reminding his audience that firearm homicide rates in the United States are more than eight times higher than those in Canada, said the legislation was one of his government's great achievements.
Canada prides itself in having far fewer violent crimes than its southern neighbor and the gun control debate goes to the heart of the country's national identity. There are 250 million firearms in the United States, almost one for each person, compared to 7 million for 30 million Canadians.
One main plank of the 1995 law is a costly gun registration scheme which requires the listing of all firearms. Previously only handguns had to be registered.
The scheme is very unpopular in western provinces such as Alberta -- Day's main power base -- where people see it as an infringement of their human rights.
OPPOSITION SAYS GUN CONTROL LAW IS ``A DISASTER''
``(The gun control law) is a disaster. It will not reduce crime,'' Day said in an interview broadcast over the Internet on Monday. The Alliance says given that criminals are unlikely to register their guns, the only way to clamp down on crime is to hire more police to enforce existing laws.
Day and Chretien are likely to resume their attacks in two televised leadership debates this Wednesday and Thursday.
Chretien -- seeking to paint Day as an extremist who will destroy Canada's generous social programs and the country's communitarian spirit -- also repeated his assertion that an Alliance win would mean the right of Canadian women to have abortions could be strictly curtailed.
Canada's right-wing parties -- the Alliance and the minority Conservatives -- have sharpened their electoral offensive after opinion polls showed the Liberals 13-16 points ahead after the first two weeks of the five-week campaign.
Day -- under pressure from his advisors to drop his so-called ``agenda of respect'' and attack Chretien -- on Saturday said the prime minister had been corrupted by the amount of power he had amassed since taking power in 1993.
Earlier on Monday, Day highlighted what he said were Chretien's many broken promises.
``These are things which stand as an indictment of this government,'' he told a news conference.
The Conservatives also stepped up a gear on Monday, releasing anti-Chretien television adverts which took the form of a spoof on commercials for CDs.
``Here it is Canada! Jean Chretien's Greatest Lies. All 101 over the last seven years on one disc,'' said one advert, referring to Chretien's reversals on issues such as free trade and eliminating a national sales tax.
Chretien -- who called the election less than 3-1/2 years into his second five-year mandate to capitalize on his opinion poll lead -- declined to comment when asked about the adverts.
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/world/international-canada-.html?printpage=yes
