College shootings likely to rekindle debate over gun control

Public Works Minister Michael Fortier, the federal cabinet member for the Montreal region, said that as a father and a citizen he was troubled by the incident.

But he wouldn't be drawn into discussion on the hot-button issue of firearms control.

"Today is not about the gun registry," said Fortier. "There are several injured in the hospital as we speak and our thoughts are with them and their families, and there will be other times for us to debate other issues."

Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe, whose party firmly supports gun control, insisted that despite its financial and administrative problems, the long-gun registry is needed.

Others may argue that tragedies will occur no matter what the law, but Duceppe was having none of that.

"That logic doesn't apply. Otherwise we'll say well, there's a lot of cars being stolen so why don't we stop registering cars?"

Deputy Liberal Leader Lucienne Robillard, whose riding includes Dawson College, predicted the shootings will add urgency to the autumn debate in Parliament.

"I have to tell you, as a woman living in Montreal, I'm against (scrapping the registry)," said Robillard. "But I think the debate will be larger than that."

Robillard, a social worker before entering politics, said there has to be a greater emphasis on the root causes of violence and how to prevent it.

"That's a complex issue and you don't have only one factor."

Tony Doob, a University of Toronto criminologist, said it will take time to sort out the details of what happened Wednesday and decide what, if any, political response is appropriate.

"At this point, we have no idea whether any criminal justice policies have any relevance," said Doob. "Whether a gun registry might make this kind of thing less likely to occur depends on the specific circumstances."

The Ecole Polytechnique massacre prompted then-prime minister Brian Mulroney to toughen restrictions on a variety of weapons - against the dogged opposition of his own Tory backbenchers.

Mulroney stopped short, however, of a long-gin registry that would require the registration of all rifles and shotguns in the country. That initiative was brought in by Jean Chretien's Liberals in 1995.

Though popular in urban Canada, the registry has long been condemned by farmers, hunters, target shooters and others for its red tape and cost overruns.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper promised to abolish it in the last election, and Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day introduced legislation in June aimed at achieving that goal.

It's unclear whether the bill can pass the House of Commons, given the Tories' current minority status. The Liberals and NDP are split on the issue, but a substantial majority of both caucuses support the registry, while the Bloc is virtually unanimous in backing registration.

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