Mr. David McGuinty (Ottawa South, Lib.):
Mr. Speaker, at the public safety committee on Wednesday, the member for Saint Boniface launched a disgraceful, baseless attack against Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair.
She said: “There were officers who did suffer consequence at the hands of chiefs, like Mr. Blair, who did transfer them out when they spoke out against [the gun registry]. That is why they are silenced today and are afraid to come forward”.
It is a shameful smear of Chief Blair, who has worked for 33 years in nearly every policing function in some of this country’s toughest neighbourhoods.
The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police says the gun registry keeps our communities safe. The Canadian Police Association says the same, joined by the RCMP, pediatricians, physicians, victims and labour and women’s groups. Ontario’s attorney general says that support for the gun registry is unprecedented.
The government should be standing with police instead of smearing them. They should stand with victims, stand with doctors and save lives by saving the gun registry.
The member should apologize for her appalling and unjustifiable attack. It is conduct unbecoming of a member of Parliament.
