2009-11 (November)
BLAINE CALKINS MP REPORT
November 25, 2009
November has been a good month for Private Members initiatives in the House of Commons. My Private Member’s motion that drew attention to the Hobbema Community Corps received all party support. My Colleague, Candice Hoeppner’s Private Members’ Bill (C-391) calling for their repeal of the Firearms Registry passed Second Reading.
The billion dollar boondoggle created by a former Liberal Government was a smoke screen meant to convince Canadians that they were tough on crime. It quickly became apparent that the previous Liberal Government was only tough on law-abiding farmers and hunters.
Bill C-391 has a long way to go but this is the first time that enough Opposition MPs had the courage to stand up for their rural Constituents. The Conservative government’s position has always been to stand up for law-abiding citizens. We want to return to the better system of having retailers record their sales of non-restricted weapons instead of having to register them with the long-gun registry. The long-gun registry has been proven to fail time and time again; and to finally close the chapter on it will not come soon enough.
At the same time, we are working to focus our efforts on fighting gun crime and targeting real criminals. We have already made Canadians safer with our far-reaching Tackling Violent Crime Act. Now, new legislation has been introduced that will help ensure the safety of our families and strengthen our ability to protect children from internet predators.
In today’s world, constantly evolving internet-based technology provides new ways for criminals to prey on innocent children. This legislation is the next step in our government’s efforts to help fight the sexual exploitation of children. The Bill (C-58) would require suppliers of Internet services to report to a designated agency any tips they receive from the public. It would also require suppliers of Internet services to notify police and safeguard evidence if they believe a child pornography offence has been committed using an Internet service they provide.
At the moment such actions are voluntary. If passed, this legislation would set graduated fines for failure to comply. A nation-wide mandatory reporting process will strengthen our ability to protect our children from sexual predators. It will also help police rescue these young victims and prosecute the criminals responsible.
This new legislation builds on our previous action to crack down on pedophiles by raising the age of consent from 14 to 16, and our work to deliver real jail time for child traffickers. Our government is working to help stop the exploitation of children for the safety and security of all Canadian families.
I hope you will drop in to my annual Christmas Open House on December 16th from 1 to 5 PM at the Constituency Office. #6, 4612 - 50th Street, Ponoka.
Please contact my Constituency office for assistance or for information on these or any federally related matters, postage free at: #6, 4612 - 50th Street, Ponoka, T4J 1S7, tel: (403) 783-5530; toll free: 1-800-665-0865 or visit my web site: www.blainecalkinsmp.ca.
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