By SooToday.com Staff
SooToday.com
Friday, November 06, 2009

NEWS RELEASE

SAULT STE. MARIE
FEDERAL NDP
RIDING ASSOCIATION

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Tory misinformation and mischief on gun registry continues

SAULT STE. MARIE - With the Conservative government criticized this week by the auditor general for spending mismanagement, in damage control for its national H1N1 vaccination mess, and stiffing farmers, is it any wonder local Conservatives would rather talk about the gun registry?

Josh Pringle’s latest salvo claiming Tony Martin does not listen to constituents conveniently ignores support for the gun registry from the Sault Ste. Marie police chief, from local women, students and university professors, among others, who have expressed support.

Like the National Rifle Association and its divisive politics south of the border, the local Tories continue their misinformation and mischief campaign.

Yes, there is legitimate concern about the registry from our farmers and hunters but the local Conservatives on cue from the federal party whip those concerns into the registry being a proxy for everything bad about government.

In actual fact, Tony Martin did not ignore either the constituents contacting him who support the registry or those opposed.

He personally e-mailed or called those who had a problem with his position and took very seriously what they have to say.

A nurturing vision of a safe community is one where women, children and men do not have to fear gun violence, or any other violence.

In truth hunters and farmers can use their guns in law abiding ways, as they do, and we can fix the registry to rid it of its worse elements but that would take the politics out of it for the Conservatives.

It has been a bad week for the Conservative government, with the inadequacy of the government’s immunization plan and its inept financial stewardship highlighted in missing an imminent recession, hiding inevitable deficits and blowing an inherited $13 billion surplus.

We do thank Josh Pringle and the Conservatives for acknowledging Tony Martin’s work Wednesday in Ottawa on behalf of Algoma farmers who are getting a pittance from the Conservative government compared to the also inadequate but better Liberal (CAIS) program.

Tony Martin had the Algoma farmers’ crisis front and centre in Parliament this week, in Question Period, in meetings with Jack Layton and all parties, and in the national media.

When Mr. Martin met with the farmers later and said he thought the day was a “home run” for them, he was corrected and told it was a “grand slam.”

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