Bill C-391 to Abolish the Long Gun Registry

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 10, 2009

The British Columbia Conservative Party applauds the Federal Government for their unswerving commitment to eliminate the hated and wasteful Long Gun Registry enacted by the Federal Liberal Government in December of 1998.

Bill C-391, a Private Members Bill introduced by Conservative MP Candice Hoeppner, amends the Firearms Act by removing the requirement to register millions of common rifles and shotguns. With a majority vote which crossed party lines, this bill passed second reading on November 4 and will now go to committee for further study.

Despite unsubstantiated claims to the contrary, the Handgun Registry and strict licensing provisions in the Firearms Act will be unaffected by this amendment and public safety will not be compromised.

The dissolution of the registry will free up scarce resources which can then be committed to combat the ever increasing problem of gang wars fueled by illegal firearms smuggled into Canada by drug gangs and organized crime.

As approximately 85% of firearms used in criminal activity are smuggled into this country, Canadians will benefit from the reallocation of resources to combat this threat to public safety rather than having the government and police continue to waste time and energy regulating law-abiding citizens.

“This is a good first step in bringing some sanity to Canada’s firearms control system. Canadians deserve simple and cost effective firearms legislation which achieves verifiable public safety goals”, said BC Conservative Party president, Wayne McGrath. “A BC Conservative government would pass legislation protecting private property from intrusions by a future federal government that may wish to resurrect the firearms registry at some point so that law-abiding citizens will never have their freedoms and private property threatened again.”

For more information contact:
Wayne McGrath, President, BC Conservative Party
(250) 542-7744

Dean Skoreyko: Civil rights should not be traded away for 2010 Olympics

By Dean Skoreyko Straight.com Oct 26, 2009

As the municipalities of Vancouver, Richmond, and Whistler prepare for the upcoming excitement of hosting the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, there are many volunteers and workers who are putting the finishing touches on the global event. We know that there are many people who are proud that this province and this country will be hosting these Games, and many of us count down the days with eager anticipation.

There are, however, some people in this country who are not looking forward to the Olympic Games, many of whom have announced their intention to protest and demonstrate against them when the time arrives. Because we have invested so much time, money, and effort into making these Olympics a shining example of the best of what we have to offer in our country, there are those who would stifle the opinions of these demonstrators and protesters.

But in Canada we live in a constitutional monarchy governed by a parliamentary democracy elected by the people, and, as such, freedom of speech and expression is considered a fundamental right.(full article)

Dean Skoreyko is a director of the B.C. Conservative Party

BC Liberal Budget proves deceitfulness and incompetence beyond a reasonable doubt

For Immediate Release Sept 02 2009 B.C. Conservatives

Kelowna - The B.C. Liberal government released their September Budget Update for 2009, and are asking for more money from British Columbians hard hit by a recession. BC Conservative Deputy Leader, Mark Thompson, says they are raising taxes, raising the cost of living, and ultimately making it more difficult for families to make ends meet.“Rather than make the important decisions necessary to help British Columbians during this difficult time, B.C. Liberals have continued to build on their legacy of reckless spending and more debt. Premier Gordon Campbell would have you believe that all of this was unforeseeable, that it's all due to the circumstances of the global economic downturn, and that they can explain away their extravagant spending on the unexpected revenue shortfalls,” said Thompson. Thompson invited British Columbians to examine the history of what this government has said. On October 21, 2008, Gordon Campbell told the people of BC that his government would not run deficits: The premier said, “We’ve been financially prudent as we’ve gone through this in British Columbia.”
Thompson continued, “As we all know, the Liberals failed to bring down a balanced budget when Gordon Campbell amended the legislation to allow for a "temporary" budget deficit in 2009. Then as recently as April 23, while on the election campaign trail he said: “I can tell you this: the deficit for 2009-2010 will be $495 million, maximum.” ”

“It was a convenient number to get reelected, but the truth is that Gordon Campbell is either totally incompetent, or deliberately deceived the voters of this province. How else is one to explain that a "temporary" deficit of a half billion dollars has ballooned into four years of structural deficits totaling a behemoth $5.4 billion? And that's under fairly optimistic estimates.”
Thompson pointed out, "This is a near 700% increase in the deficit. Heads roll in companies that mislead their shareholders to this degree. How is this any different than Enron?" The Budget has a number of feel-good ideas, but the Liberals have thus far not indicated where the money is coming from to pay for them all. The Liberals confidently announce that they've created 480 construction projects worth $3.4 billion that will directly create 21,600 jobs. That works out to $157,000 in taxpayer money being spent for each "job" created. “Wouldn't it be much simpler to lower the tax burden on B.C. residents and companies in order to create a natural stimulus for the economy, rather than this continued waste of taxpayer dollars?” asked Thompson.The tax burden on residents is also going to go up in the years to come. The government's own estimates show the new tax will increase the costs of people in this province by as much as $355 more per year. The Liberals are also treating the one-time HST implementation federal payment of $1.6 billion as general revenue.“Such a trick goes against all standard accounting principles, and is very deceitful because it doesn't give residents a true indication of just how badly this government has mismanaged finances,” said Thompson.

“Although this government seems to have limitless funding and bureaucrats to assist VANOC, the budget shows that it's coming at the expense of health care and education in this province. While cutting health services the Liberals are increasing taxes on residents by upping the costs for Medical Services Plan premiums by 6%, placing a huge burden on seniors and working people. Additionally, there will be no new education funding, meaning BC children will be facing cuts that will have to be made by school boards. Classroom sizes will increase, support for special needs children will be eroded, and student aid for post-secondary education will be greatly reduced.”

“The BC Liberal budget proves the deceitfulness and incompetence of this government beyond a reasonable doubt. As a result, your taxes will be going up, your cost of living will be going up, but services and quality of life will decline. This is a budget that nobody voted for on May 12, when they elected Gordon Campbell to his current mandate,” concluded Thompson.
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For further information please contact:
Wayne McGrath 250.542.7744 nwmcgrath@shaw.ca

Conservative leader resigns

Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: July 02, 2009 6:00 PM

An insider insists the B.C. Conservatives are strong despite much of its executive stepping down. Leader Wilf Hanni, vice-president Bob Eedy and seven directors announced Tuesday they are immediately resigning their positions over what they describe as party turmoil. “I wouldn’t say there was in-fighting but there was a group that claimed to represent the party. We had to take that to court to get it resolved last year,” said Wayne McGrath, party president and former Vernon mayor. McGrath is confident the party can survive the resignations. “The last election was a huge improvement over the previous one,” he said. “I get the feeling that there’s a tremendous desire on the part of the electorate to have an alternative to the NDP and Liberals. Membership is starting to grow.”

In a release, Hanni and the other directors defended the decision to leave their duties.“We have spent much of the last four years fighting a long and protracted battle with a group of dissidents. As a result, the party has amassed almost $30,000 in legal bills and we still have not managed to unite the members of the board of directors. A small band of board members still insists on fighting and having its own way,” states the release. “We were hoping to achieve peace in the party so that we could work together to build on our success and turn our party into a real force in the next election campaign, but our efforts continue to be undermined. The constant infighting is continuing and there does not appear to be any end in sight.”

But McGrath claims the resignation may have to do more with the Conservatives not winning any seats during May’s provincial election. “The general feeling is the members would be interested in considering replacing the leader. It looks like Mr.. Hanni wanted to avoid that and quit,” he said. Beryl Ludwig, who ran for the party in Shuswap, believes there has been a power struggle in the party. “It’s very disappointing but there’s been infighting and this will hopefully settle it,” she said of the resignations. “A lot of people have joined and sometimes new people help.” The B.C. Conservatives will hold an annual general meeting in Chilliwack Sept. 26 and McGrath says a date will have to be set for a leadership race.

BC CONSERVATIVE PRESIDENT THANKS WILF HANNI FOR SERVICE TO PARTY

For Immediate Release Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Vernon – BC Conservative Party President, Wayne McGrath, in response to yesterday’s resignation of Wilf Hanni, has expressed his regret and sincere thanks to the former Party Leader, who was instrumental in leading the party through the recent provincial election.

“It is with both regret and gratefulness that I accept the resignation of Mr. Hanni as leader of our Party. Wilf worked hard to help build the conservative movement in BC and led us with courage and distinction in the recent election. I believe I speak for the whole Party in extending my sincere thanks to him for all he has sacrificed and done for us, and for BC,’ said McGrath.

“It is at times like this that changes often do, and should, occur. That a number of Board members loyal to Wilf have also resigned is understandable, and the Board wishes to thank them for their service as well.”

“I also understand the frustrations and disappointments that sometimes accompany these decisions. We will work diligently to bring the party together in a professional and positive manner,” added McGrath.

McGrath pointed out that the timing of Mr. Hanni’s resignation is fortuitous in that it will allow the membership to go into the Party’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) with a unified Party that will elect a new board and begin plans for a Leadership race.

“We appreciate Wilf’s consideration regarding the timing of his decision, and will utilize this opportunity to build on what has been achieved while bringing in new people with fresh ideas to take the party to the next level,” McGrath stated.

The BC Conservative Party is holding its AGM in Chilliwack on September 26, 2009. All interested British Columbians are invited to apply for membership and attend. Memberships are available in advance via the party website at HYPERLINK "http://www.conservativesbc.com" www.conservativesbc.com and will also be available at the AGM.
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Don Quixote Note: Original posting at : Drastic Move for Conservatives: