Provincial Court Challenge Puts Destruction of Records on Hold

Injunction means “status quo” for long gun registry in Quebec

PETERBOROUGH, ON, April 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ – Bill C-19, the Act to Amend the Criminal Code and the Firearms Act, has received royal assent but is on hold in Quebec, pending the
outcome of the court case brought forward by the Quebec government this
week. The province is seeking to force the federal government to retain
the records contained in the long gun registry, some of which it hopes
to use to populate a new provincial long gun registry.

In addition, the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH) has
been given to understand that in the province of Quebec alone, all
aspects of Bill C-19, which includes firearms registration, are on hold
until the court matter is resolved.

“While we are satisfied that the Harper government has delivered on its
promise to scrap the long gun registry, we are shocked and profoundly
disappointed that a provincial court can overrule what the people of
Canada have voted upon through the parliamentary process,” said Angelo
Lombardo, OFAH Executive Director.

Lawyers for the Quebec government and the federal government will meet
again before a Quebec court judge next week to plead their case for and
against a permanent injunction preventing the destruction of the
registry records. Until such time as that judge renders a verdict, the
federal government will not be able to proceed with the destruction of
any data within the long gun registry and firearms owners in Quebec
will need to comply with the current system.

The OFAH has long fought for the end of the long gun registry, which has
never been proven to prevent violent crime.

With over 100,000 members, subscribers and supporters, and 675 member
clubs, the OFAH is the province’s largest nonprofit, fish and wildlife
conservation-based organization, and the VOICE of anglers and hunters.
For more information, visit www.ofah.org or follow the OFAH on Facebook and Twitter.

SOURCE Ontario Federation of Anglers & Hunters