Few in poll think national gun registry was effective

The vast majority of Canadians are concerned about gun violence, but most also think the federal gun registry is a failure, according to a new Angus Reid poll released Friday.

The new poll shows that 80 per cent think gun violence is a serious problem — but 78 per cent of Canadians also think the registry has been unsuccessful (46 per cent) or ineffectual (32 per cent) at preventing crime.

The registry, which was introduced by the Liberal government under Jean Chretien in 1993, has cost more than $1 billion.

A parliamentary vote early this month scrapped the long-gun registry, meaning those who own rifles or shotguns no longer need to register them.

Conservative MP Garry Breitkreuz said at the time of the vote he was "blown away" by the support for scrapping the registry.

"I'm relieved, after 15 years, finally we get some action on one of the biggest boondoggles in Canadian history," said Breitkreuz.

Handguns would still be registered under the revised program, which has not yet become law.

The poll, released by the Toronto Star Friday, showed that only 11 per cent of Canadians considered the registry a success, the same percentage as those who said they didn't know.

GUN REGISTRY POLL

Angus Reid asked: The Canadian Firearms Registry, also known as the long gun registry, requires the registration of all non-restricted firearms in Canada. From what you have seen, read or heard, do you think this registry has been successful or unsuccessful in preventing crime in Canada?

Successful: 11%

Unsuccessful: 46%

It has had no effect on crime: 32%

Not sure: 11%

— Source: Angus Reid Public Opinion/Toronto Star

Pollsters interviewed 1,000 Canadian adults on Nov. 12 and 13. The margin of error is plus/minus 3.1 per cent.

Some of you sent letters when I was in Afghanistan last year, asking why I'd take the chance to go there and what was the purpose. This is why I went, this is what I've been writing about for the past year, and this is why I am absolutely disgusted with this farce we call Democracy and the Governments we continue to have represent us.

This is NOT about partisan politics, this is about transparency of Government, credibility of the press, and the public being accountable for the representation we elect.

The situation I witnessed in Afghanistan last year was a far cry from the one portrayed to us by our Government and via the press - all of the press. I was shocked and appalled to see and hear first hand scenes that were diametrically opposed to what we are told, it has taken the better part of a year and much writing to come to grips with it and move onto the next step.

The testimony by Richard Colvin DEMANDS action by the Government, this is a no-brainer but the reactions by our "officials" such as Peter McKay who would be laughable were their decisions not so critical to the lives of so many, are appalling.

This disgraces the troops we have fighting, the people of Afghanistan, and the Canadian public, yet the Harper Gov't has not responded in a way that would garner respect and dignity, they have gone into full spin mode and I think on this one they will be bitten by it.

You are being lied to on in many areas by your Governments, regardless of party, and you are being mislead and lied to by your press. The onus is on you and me, the general public to speak out and fight for transparency and accountability. The Harper Government is no more accountable than any other Government we've elected in my lifetime, and it makes me sick.

The Canadian government is dismissing calls for a public inquiry into the alleged torture of prisoners handed over by Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan.

Defence Minister Peter MacKay defended his government Thursday in light of allegations that detainees were routinely abused.

"There has not been a single, solitary proven allegation of abuse involving a transferred Taliban prisoner by Canadian forces," MacKay said in the House of Commons.

His comments came a day after Richard Colvin, a former senior diplomat with Canada's Afghan mission, dropped a political bombshell on Parliament, alleging that suspects handed over by Canada to Afghan authorities were tortured.
Torture warnings

Speaking Wednesday before a Commons committee on Canada's mission in Afghanistan, Colvin alleged that prisoners were turned over to Afghanistan's notorious intelligence service by the Canadian military in 2006-07 despite warnings that they would be tortured. He also suggested the federal government may have tried to cover up what was happening.

MacKay painted Colvin as having been duped by the Taliban and said Canadians are being asked to accept the word of prisoners "who throw acid in the face of schoolgirls." MacKay also said he did not know about Colvin's allegations.

However, Ottawa University law professor Amir Attaran said the onus was on MacKay to explain how he could not have known about Colvin's reports.

"The reality is that Mr. Colvin wrote 17 reports that he sent to colleagues in Ottawa. He cc's more than 70 people on those reports," Attaran said.

If Mr. Colvin was lying in those reports, "don't you think one of them would be standing up?"

Meanwhile, top Canadian officials discussed in December 2006 whether Asadullah Khalid, then governor of Kandahar, was involved in the torture of prisoners and dismissed the concern, according to The Canadian Press.

One source said the meeting was at the Privy Council Office and involved Prime Minister Stephen Harper's then-national security adviser, Margaret Bloodworth.

The revelation raises more questions about how much senior officials knew about possible Afghan prisoner abuse, what they did about it and whether they passed that information along to cabinet ministers or simply ignored it.
Opposition parties seek public inquiry

All three opposition parties attacked the Conservatives on Thursday and demanded a public inquiry.

NDP Leader Jack Layton said Canada's reputation as a champion of human rights has been hurt by the notion that prisoners handed over to Afghan authorities were tortured and that the government might have tried to cover it up.

"I believe the pressure for a full public inquiry is going to grow.… We have to clear the air here. Get to the bottom of it and find out whether we are dealing with a coverup," he told CBC News.

"We certainly have to take the appropriate actions to deal with Canada's reputation, which right now is taking a tumble."

P.O.V. Afghan detainees: How should Canada handle the issue? Join the discussion.

During his testimony, Colvin said Canada did not monitor detainee conditions; took days, weeks or months to notify the Red Cross; kept poor records; and to prevent scrutiny, the Canadian Forces leadership concealed this behind "walls of secrecy."

Former Canadian diplomat Richard Colvin says detainees transferred by Canadians to Afghan prisons were likely tortured.Former Canadian diplomat Richard Colvin says detainees transferred by Canadians to Afghan prisons were likely tortured. (Chris Wattie/Reuters)"According to our information, the likelihood is that all the Afghans we handed over were tortured," Colvin said. "For interrogators in Kandahar, it was a standard operating procedure."

Colvin worked in Kandahar for the Department of Foreign Affairs in 2006 before moving to Kabul, where he was second-in-command at the Canadian Embassy. He said his reports were ignored and he was eventually told to stop putting the reports in writing.

Speaking on CBC's Power & Politics with Evan Solomon , MacKay said Thursday a public inquiry isn't necessary because a parliamentary inquiry is already underway.

"We have a two-track forum right now in which individuals can come forward and speak about what they know," MacKay said. "But most importantly, we have a forum in which evidence can actually be questioned."
Government rejects Colvin testimony

Conservative MPs dismissed Colvin's testimony as being based on second- and third-hand information and suggested his allegations were part of a disinformation campaign.

"He had ample opportunity to speak to ministers directly. He chose not to do that. He could have spoken to Gen. Gauthier and he chose not to do that," Conservative MP Laurie Hawn said Thursday. "It's just not credible."

Retired lieutenant-general Michel Gauthier, who served as commander of the Canadian Expeditionary Force Command in Afghanistan for almost four years, told CBC News he was "deeply troubled" by Colvin's testimony.

"In my capacity as commander of CEFCOM, I very clearly understood my responsibilities under international law with respect to the handling of detainees, and I would certainly not knowingly have done anything — ever — to expose our soldiers and commanders in the field, our government, or myself to complicity in war crimes or other wrongdoing as Mr. Colvin suggests," Gauthier said.

"I look forward to providing an absolutely frank view of some key aspects of Mr. Colvin's testimony when I appear before the committee next week," Gauthier said.

BEIJING, Nov 18 (Reuters) - President Barack Obama gave his sternest warning yet about the need to contain rising U.S. deficits, saying on Wednesday that if government debt were to pile up too much, it could lead to a double-dip recession. With the U.S. unemployment rate at 10.2 percent, Obama told Fox News his administration faces a delicate balance of trying to boost the economy and spur job creation while putting the economy on a path toward long-term deficit reduction.

His administration was considering ways to accelerate economic growth, with tax measures among the options to give companies incentives to hire, Obama said in the interview with Fox conducted in Beijing during his nine-day trip to Asia.

"It is important though to recognize if we keep on adding to the debt, even in the midst of this recovery, that at some point, people could lose confidence in the U.S. economy in a way that could actually lead to a double-dip recession," he said.

Fox News, which released a transcript of the interview, showed that comment by Obama on Wednesday morning and said the full discussion would be broadcast later in the day.