Federal government must keep gun registry data

Quebec injunction shows Conservatives’ insistence on destroying data is unreasonable

OTTAWA — The decision of the Superior Court of Quebec to order the federal government not to destroy the long-gun registry data is good news for the NDP, which is now calling on the Conservatives to put an end to this saga by giving this public data to those provinces that want it.

“During the election campaign, the Conservatives never mentioned they were going to destroy the registry data to ensure it couldn’t be used by the provinces,” said NDP Deputy Justice Critic Françoise Boivin. “The Conservatives are determined to waste millions of dollars in public data to satisfy their ideology.”

"We urge the government to take this opportunity to end their plan to destroy all the data. This costly legal battle can’t continue forever. The government must agree to keep the data,” concluded Official Opposition Justice Critic Jack Harris.

New Democrats will continue to hold the government’s feet to the fire on this issue so that the provinces that want existing registry data can access it.