From: owner-can-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca (Cdn-Firearms Digest) To: cdn-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Subject: Cdn-Firearms Digest V7 #969 Reply-To: cdn-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Sender: owner-can-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Errors-To: owner-can-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Precedence: normal Cdn-Firearms Digest Monday, April 11 2005 Volume 07 : Number 969 In this issue: SHOOTING SUSPECT GIVES UP 911 - National Emergency Number Association Le Soleil Column: Armes à feu et commandites... Re: [COLUMN] Liberal fortunes tied to Harper [LETTER] (That works for us.) Re: Demetrick - Laskin Driver saves man shot at Yonge and Dundas: Two passersby hit 3 wounded in Yonge-Dundas shooting [COLUMN] If You Go Down to the Woods Today... Pollsters caution against snap election based on Gomery ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 11 Apr 2005 09:33:35 -0600 (CST) From: Breitkreuz@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca, Garry - Assistant 1 Subject: SHOOTING SUSPECT GIVES UP PUBLICATION: The Toronto Sun DATE: 2005.04.11 EDITION: Final SECTION: News PAGE: 22 ILLUSTRATION: photo of STEPHEN BRENT ALI Was sought in shooting of bouncer BYLINE: JONATHAN JENKINS - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ SHOOTING SUSPECT GIVES UP - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ THE MAN wanted for blasting a Rexdale nightclub bouncer in the chest with a pistol has turned himself into police. Steven Brent Ali, 30, was being sought on attempted murder and firearms charges and was considered armed and dangerous. Ali's name and photo were released yesterday after Toronto Police investigators identified him as a suspect in the shooting of a Krystal's Nightclub bouncer. "He contacted investigators. Then he walked into the (23 Division) station at 1:45 p.m.," Staff-Sgt. Larry Cowley said yesterday. The victim, 40, was shot in the chest around 12:30 a.m. Saturday after a brawl in the Albion Rd. club spilled outside. The bouncer is listed in fair condition in hospital. The gunman ran off after the shooting with another man, who has not been identified. Anyone who knows details about the shooting is asked to call police at 416-808-2304 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 11 Apr 2005 09:33:47 -0600 (CST) From: Breitkreuz@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca, Garry - Assistant 1 Subject: 911 - National Emergency Number Association 911 - National Emergency Number Association http://www.nena.org/ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 11 Apr 2005 09:34:01 -0600 (CST) From: Breitkreuz@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca, Garry - Assistant 1 Subject: Le Soleil Column: Armes à feu et commandites... PUBLICATION: Le Soleil DATE: 2005.04.09 SECTION: Sports PAGE: S7 COLUMN: Chasse et pêche BYLINE: Bellemare, André-A. - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- - ---- Armes à feu et commandites... - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- - ---- Vous vous doutiez bien, vous aussi, que le processus d'enregistrement des chasseurs du Canada et de leurs fusils et carabines n'avait pas pour seul objectif d'assurer la sécurité des citoyens et d'éliminer la violence dans notre société, comme le Parti libéral du Canada (PLC) tente de nous le faire croire depuis 1995. Depuis 10 ans, en donnant l'illusion de se préoccuper du bien commun, le gouvernement fédéral a puisé sans vergogne dans les fonds publics pour distribuer encore là des millions de dollars à des amis du régime ! Durant son témoignage devant la Commision Gomery, le président de Groupaction Marketing, Jean Brault a révélé que, durant l'été 2001, il a versé 50 000 $ comptant à Joseph Morselli, alors proche conseiller du ministre Alfonso Gagliano (Travaux publics Canada), pour que le gouvernement fédéral retarde un appel d'offres relatif à un important contrat de publicité lié au registre des armes à feu. Brault a expliqué qu'il avait besoin de ce délai pour contrer des agences de publicité compétitrices qui tentaient de pénétrer ce très lucratif marché. Groupaction détenait ce contrat depuis 1996, dans le cadre d'une série de contrats d'une valeur de 35,7 millions $ signés avec Justice Canada, alors responsable d'implanter le registre des armes à feu. Fraude A compter de juin, Jean Brault et l'ancien fonctionnaire fédéral Charles Guité subiront leur procès sous des accusations de fraudes totalisant deux millions $, incluant les irrégularités commises relativement au processus d'enregistrement des chasseurs et de leurs armes. La GRC soutient qu'un contrat de 330 000 $ donné à Groupaction était une fraude absolue, et qu'un autre contrat, de 150 000 $ celui-là, a aussi permis la commission d'une fraude. Voilà un an et demi, Sheila Fraser, vérificatrice générale du Canada, a révélé que le gouvernement fédéral avait perdu le contrôle des dépenses liées à l'enregistrement des armes à feu. Elle a souligné que ces dépenses - du moins en se fiant à ce qu'elle avait pu trouver - seraient supérieures à un milliard $ en 2005, c'est-à-dire 500 fois plus élevées que les 2 millions $ qu'Ottawa avait prévu dépenser à cette fin en 1995... Tout laisse croire que le coût aura atteint, au rythme actuel des dépenses annuelles d'Ottawa dans ce dossier-là, près de deux milliards $ en 2010 ! Ottawa aura donc englouti 2000 millions $ pour enregistrer environ 2 millions de chasseurs et à peu près six millions d'armes à feu ! L'an dernier, dans le cadre d'une émission télévisée de la Société Radio-Canada, on apprenait qu'environ les deux tiers de l'argent englouti par Ottawa dans le registre des armes à feu l'aurait été pour payer des contrats à des firmes d'informatique : quelque 600 millions $ brûlés pour inventer et faire fonctionner des logiciels et un système informatique s'occupant de 2 millions de chasseurs et 6 millions d'armes à feu... Tout informaticien honnête vous dira que c'est de la folie furieuse. Bien sûr, il ne faut surtout pas demander à Wendy Cuckier - égérie du processus actuel d'enregistrement des chasseurs et de leurs armes - de faire campagne pour mettre un terme à cette triste farce. Car Wendy Cuckier et des groupements dont elle fait partie ont reçu d'Ottawa des centaines de milliers de dollars pour promouvoir l'enregistrement des armes à feu, notamment en accompagnant des membres et des ministres du Parti libéral du Canada durant des conférences de presse ou en participant, les larmes aux yeux, à des entrevues à la télévision, à la radio et dans les journaux... DANS MA BOURRICHE Terrain de jeu de 67 000 km² ! Les 16 réserves fauniques gouvernementales gérées par la Société des établissements de plein air du Québec (SEPAQ) ont bel et bien une superficie de 67 000 km², non pas de 67 km² comme il était écrit dans ma chronique d'avant-hier... Oui ! ça fait un grand terrain de jeu pour pêcheurs, chasseurs, villégiateurs, campeurs et adeptes du loisir en plein air... Pour vous informer ou pour réserver un chalet (il y en a 550 à louer par jour...) ou un emplacement de camping (il y en a plus de 7000 à louer quotidiennement...), téléphonez à la SEPAQ : 1 800 665-6527, sept jours sur sept, de 8 h 30 à 21 h. Réservez dès maintenant pour vos vacances des neuf derniers mois de 2005 ! Godbout : très intéressant ! Jeudi, je vous ai appris que le Comité de développement touristique et économique de Godbout (CDTEG) reprenait la gestion de la pêche du saumon dans la rivière Godbout, à l'est de Baie-Comeau, sur la Côte-Nord. Le CDTEG a conclu une entente avec les dirigeants de la Société Cap-Nord (club privé des familles Molson et Bronfman) : à compter du 1er juin, les clients de la ZEC pêcheront dans les fosses du club situées au nord du pont de la route 138 : de 13 h à 17 h, les mardi, jeudi et samedi, puis de 17 h jusqu'à la noirceur, les mercredi et vendredi. Depuis jeudi, les places offertes s'envolent : dépêchez-vous de téléphoner à Charles Pinard, secrétaire de la ZEC (1 819 394-2661). Claude Béland à la FQF Claude Béland, ancien président du Mouvement Desjardins, sera l'un des conférenciers, en fin de semaine prochaine, lors du congrès de la Fédération québécoise de la faune, principal porte-parole des pêcheurs et chasseurs avec ses quelque 150 000 membres bénévoles réunis par environ 200 associations. Claude Béland traitera du rôle des associations de bénévoles. Le congrès aura lieu, du vendredi au dimanche inclusivement, dans l'hôtel Val-des-Neiges, près du Mont-Sainte-Anne. Informez-vous : (418) 626-6858 ou 1 888 LAFAUNE. Les 20 ans de la SEPAQ Depuis le 28 mars et pendant 20 semaines, la SEPAQ marque le 20e anniversaire de sa création par un concours dans Internet réservé au résidants du Québec. En répondant correctement à la question de la semaine, vous participerez au tirage d'un chèque-cadeau de 500 $. Durant les 20 semaines, 20 gagnants se partageront 10 000 $. Les détails du concours sont explicités dans les site www.sepaq.com. La SEPAQ accueille chaque année plus de 5 millions de visiteurs dans les 47 "établissements" qu'elle gère au nom du gouvernement. Saviez-vous que les territoires gérés par la SEPAQ renferment... 16 600 lacs et des centaines de ruisseaux et rivières ? Un grand terrain de jeu, vous dites ? Vrai ! AABellemare@lesoleil.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 11 Apr 2005 09:50:06 -0600 (CST) From: paul chicoine Subject: Re: [COLUMN] Liberal fortunes tied to Harper > He has never managed to explain why he wants to be prime minister. He does > not seem to relish even the game of politics. Paul Martin wants to be Prime Minister to honour his father's memory. Paul Martin senior was never able to garner enough support to get the top job. Anyone aware of the close bond between the two men will find this easy to appreciate. Paul C. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 11 Apr 2005 09:53:07 -0600 (CST) From: "Bruce Mills" Subject: [LETTER] (That works for us.) http://canoe.ca/NewsStand/EdmontonSun/Letters/ THERE CAN be one, and only one, valid reaction to the Brault testimony at the Gomery inquiry: KICK THE RASCALS OUT! Bruce N. Mills (That works for us.) ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 11 Apr 2005 13:18:26 -0600 (CST) From: Edward Hudson Subject: Re: Demetrick - Laskin On 2005 Apr 10, at 8:13 PM, Lee Jasper wrote: > > Certainly, I've seen eyes roll and heads shake at public meetings when > a > 'firearms activist' speaking on owners' rights, starts with: The Magna > Carta of 1215 gave it to our British ancestors, and that was followed > by > the English Bill of Rights in 1627 (sic, 1689), which entrenched the > right ... . Very interesting observation, Mr Jasper. Why do you suppose this would be so ?? Do Canadians not understand our British legal heritage ?? Do Canadians not value English Common Law ?? Do Canadians not understand the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, especially Section 26 ?? "Other rights and freedoms not affected by Charter 26. The guarantee in this Charter of certain rights and freedoms shall not be construed as denying the existence of any other rights or freedoms that exist in Canada." Do Canadian believe that Section 25 of the Charter which protects Aboriginal Rights will apply while Section 26 will not ?? "Aboriginal rights and freedoms not affected by Charter 25. The guarantee in this Charter of certain rights and freedoms shall not be construed so as to abrogate or derogate from any aboriginal, treaty or other rights or freedoms that pertain to the aboriginal peoples of Canada including a) any rights or freedoms that have been recognized by the Royal Proclamation of October 7, 1763; and b) any rights or freedoms that now exist by way of land claims agreements or may be so acquired. I would appreciate your thoughts. Sincerely, Eduardo ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 11 Apr 2005 13:46:43 -0600 (CST) From: Breitkreuz@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca, Garry - Assistant 1 Subject: Driver saves man shot at Yonge and Dundas: Two passersby hit PUBLICATION: National Post DATE: 2005.04.11 EDITION: Toronto / Late SECTION: Toronto PAGE: A11 BYLINE: Michael Traikos SOURCE: National Post NOTE: mtraikos@nationalpost.com - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- - ---- Driver saves man shot at Yonge and Dundas: Two passersby hit - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- - ---- The target of an afternoon shooting at the city's busiest intersection was possibly saved yesterday by a driver who stopped and rescued the victim from his attacker. Police say a 25-year-old man was walking in the Yonge-and- Dundas area around 4:30 p.m. when he became involved in a dispute with another man, who opened fire on him. He was struck once in the buttocks, but managed to escape after jumping into a random vehicle that was travelling northbound. In his desperation, police said the victim lost his shoe. "He went up to them and said, 'I've been shot. Take me to a hospital,' " Sergeant Frank Pantaleo said. Police said the man was taken to St. Michael's Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. "The person was good enough to allow the person who was shot into the vehicle. As the driver was making a U-turn to head toward the hospital, the gunman took two more shots at the vehicle." Police said the shooter was carrying a handgun and that five bullet casings were found. Witnesses said passersby scattered or hit the ground once shots were fired, but not before at least two people walking along Yonge Street were struck by bullets. Police said two men were struck in the hand and leg. Both were taken to hospital. Sgt. Pantaleo said things could have ended far worse, considering the busy time of day. An investigating officer said police had been patrolling the area during the time of the attack. "It's pretty brazen, in the middle of the day," Sgt. Pantaleo said. "It's pretty difficult to prevent something like this. He intended to shoot someone else. There's little we can do." Police said the shooter fled north to Gould Street on foot. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 11 Apr 2005 13:46:53 -0600 (CST) From: Breitkreuz@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca, Garry - Assistant 1 Subject: 3 wounded in Yonge-Dundas shooting PUBLICATION: Toronto Star DATE: 2005.04.11 SECTION: News PAGE: B05 BYLINE: Jim Wilkes and Emily Mathieu ILLUSTRATION: Jim Wilkes toronto star Police on horseback help keepcurious onlookers behind cordon on Yonge St. at Dundas St. after three people were shot near Gould St. yesterday afternoon. - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- - ---- 3 wounded in Yonge-Dundas shooting - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- - ---- Shoppers on Yonge St. screamed and scattered for cover after a gunman opened fire on a sun-splashed sidewalk leaving a trail of wounded people and blood-stained streets behind him. "We heard three shots and saw this guy jump into a car," said a Yonge St. retailer named Louis. The shooting started in front of a store on Yonge St. in between Dundas St. and Gould St. just before 4: 30 p.m., he said. Crowds of shoppers had filled the streets and stores of the popular shopping district when the gunplay erupted. "It all happened so fast," said Louis. "The minute we heard those shots people were just running all over the street," he said. After the first man was shot on Yonge St., he ran north toward Gould St. where he was picked up by a van turning south from Gould St., police said. "He convinced a stranger to pick him up," said Det. Gordon Serroul. The van carrying the victim then headed south on Yonge St., Serroul said when the van passed the shooter he fired again, missing the vehicle and hitting the two victims on the west side of the street. The first shooting victim was eventually driven to St. Michael's Hospital, police said. The gunman also ran north and in his haste to flee ran out of one of his shoes, leaving a white sneaker in the northbound lanes. "I saw two guys that were bleeding all over the place," said Louis, who described them as in their 30s. Police officers patrolling nearby on horseback quickly arrived on the scene and began to cordon off Yonge St. between Dundas and Elm Sts. "This is really scary," said civil engineer Ely Lopez, 30, who was out for a ride on his bike. By the time Lopez arrived, the two wounded men had collapsed in the doorways of a photo studio and Le Chateau clothing store on Yonge St. near Gould St. A woman was applying pressure to the leg of one of the victims while they waited for paramedics to arrive, he said. The two men were taken by ambulance to St. Michael's Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries to the leg and hand. The man who was driven to hospital has non-life-threatening injuries to his leg and buttocks, police said. The shooting scene is near Ryerson University. Police are still probing the March 25 shooting death of popular Ryerson student William Kim, 30, at his apartment near the north end of the downtown campus. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 11 Apr 2005 14:48:37 -0600 (CST) From: "Bruce Mills" Subject: [COLUMN] If You Go Down to the Woods Today... http://www.ltvnews.com/viewcolumn.php?id=919 VIEWS FROM THE CROW'S NEST WITH KAREN JOHNS If You Go Down to the Woods Today... Karen Johns LTVNews.com Columnist Monday, April 11 2005, 7:41AM Yes spring is here and the long sleep for the black bear is over. As surely as they will be out foraging for food, the advocates for the return of the spring bear hunt will be calling for its reinstatement. Should it happen? I don't believe so. Since the spring bear hunt was cancelled people have been complaining about an over-abundance of bear sightings and blame the government for its bleeding heart view of the whole thing. But let's look at it realistically. Just because say, six people call in to report a bear sighting in their neighbourhood , it doesn't mean that there have been six different bears prowling around. It's more likely that these same six people have all seen the same bear. People will complain about a rogue, dangerous bear being around and will lament that it is because we no longer have the spring hunt. But who is to say that THAT particular bear would have been shot anyway? I've spent the best part of my life in Batchawana Bay and I've seen many ,many bears, but I've never felt threatened by them. They're just part of the scenery. Years ago , before the government privatized the garbage dump in Batchawana, many people would take their kids to the garbage dump at night and watch the bears searching for food. The mother bears would come out first, chasing their cubs back into the treeline until she determined it was safe, and then they too would come out to eat. Male bears were there too and it wasn't unusual to see nine or ten bears in an evening. Now though, the people running the dump out there decided it wasn't cost effective to keep it open , so the bears have to look elswhere for food. And guess where they're looking? around homes and cottages that keep their trash outside. Because there is no longer anywhere to take their garbage , people are hanging on to it longer, and the smell from it and from backyard barbecues draws in the bears. Would the return of the spring bear hunt stop this? Not likely. And just how much of a hunt is it really? Here is a hungry bear, waking up in the spring, smelling a pile of donuts or garbage and other pleasing smells. Of course he is going to go where the smell of food is. And before you know it, some yahoo with a gun is shooting him from the safety of a tree stand. I've seen a lot of these hunters, usually from cities in Southern Ontario, and the States dressed in their camoflauge gear, with bloodlust in their eyes ,bragging about the big bear they got or are about to get. Boy ,you have to be really brave and really strong and a really great hunter to shoot a bear from eight feet away! I'd like to see these same idiots out in the bush actually tracking a bear, before they shoot it. I bet they'd be too scared, or shoot themselves, or their hunting buddy if they actually came face to face with a snarling bruin. Advocates of the spring bear hunt will say that they eat the bear meat, but come on, how many people do you know that actually eat the bear they shoot? No , the real reason is that they want to have a trophy bear to impress their equally moronic friends. Now don't get me wrong. I blame no one for killing an animal in order to feed themselves or their families. But to me, killing an animal just for the thrill of it is immoral. I've heard people say that we need the spring bear hunt to help the balance of nature. As if! Nature has and always will deal with her balances without the intervention of man. In fact it's only when man interferes with nature that things start going wrong. People have also said to me that the spring bear hunt is neccesary for some families to make a living. I feel sorry for them but I truly believe that making a living from the pain and suffering of wildlife is just plain wrong. We here in the north are blessed with so much natural beauty, and if were marketed properly we could open up the lands to people who would like nothing better than photgraphing or just watching wildlife in all its splendor. I think that people sometimes forget that animals do have feelings. They feel pain and they love their young and will defend them to the death. To kill magnificent animals just so you can have a rug or a stuffed head on your wall is deplorable. And don't forget , we do sadly, still have the fall bear hunt, but hopefully by then bears are not so hungry and will be a little more cautious when looking for food. As for those rogue bears, or ones that are thought to be dangerous, well they can be shot, and I wouldn't blame someone who felt their lives or those of their children were in danger. One thing I must mention though is something I saw last summer. A very small bear was around a cottage one night and so the cottage owner decided that it must be killed , even though it wasn't around in the daytime and seemed very timid. I saw the body where they had dumped it in the bush and was surprised to see just how little it was. I have dogs taller than that bear was and it made me sad and angry that that life was taken when it was probably unnecessary and he would have moved on to look for other food. Just one sighting of a bear doesn't mean you have to kill it. Making loud noises is usually enough to send a bear on its way. I know I'll take a lot of flak for my views on this but that's okay. I love nature and would prefer that man leave it alone when at all possible. Givin ' it to ya as straight as the crow flies! Quote of the week: I Support the Right to Arm Bears! Note: there is a web form to respond to this article at: http://www.ltvnews.com/viewcolumn.php?id=919 ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 11 Apr 2005 14:48:49 -0600 (CST) From: "Bruce Mills" Subject: Pollsters caution against snap election based on Gomery http://www.hilltimes.com/html/index.php?display=story&full_path=/2005/april/ 11/pollsters/&c=1 The Hill Times, April 11th, 2005 NEWS STORY By Paco Francoli Pollsters caution against snap election based on Gomery Party standings expected to change in wake of explosive Gomery testimony; Liberals to take a hit Pollsters agree. Conservative Leader Stephen Harper was wise to put a lid on talk of a snap election. Canadians don't want to go to the polls again, less than 12 months since the last campaign. And the numbers aren't quite there for the fledgling Conservative Party. At least not yet, despite the political storm caused by the Gomery Inquiry into the sponsorship scandal which had Liberals running scared last week. Polling done up to the day Judge John Gomery partially lifted the publication ban last Thursday on Montreal ad executive Jean Brault's shocking, and sensational testimony had the Tories still trailing the Liberals. "Basically, in terms of the party standings, not much has changed, including the poll that we're looking at right now," said Environics pollster Donna Dasko about her firm's latest poll released on Friday based on three weeks of field work that ended on April 6. Environics has the Liberals at 36 per cent, nationally, compared to 30 per cent of the Tories. The NDP are at 19 per cent while the Bloc at 11 per cent. In Quebec, where the Gomery Inquiry has been a day-time TV hit, the numbers also remained stable. The Bloc polled at 47 per cent, compared to 27 per cent for the Liberals. Environics had the Bloc at the same level in its Jan. 5 poll which also put the Liberals at 29 per cent. Ms. Dasko said a snap election "would be a very bad idea and it would reflect very badly on whoever it is was seen to have pulled the plug." Pollster Michael Marzolini of Pollara said his firm's last poll on voter intentions, conducted March 10-18, indicated the Liberal lead over the Tories has shrunk to only four points, and this was long before Mr. Brault's testimony. That poll put the Liberals at 36 per cent nationally, compared to 32 per cent for the Conservatives. In December, the firm had the Liberals at 38 per cent and the Tories at 31 per cent. "A four point gap is workable but if I was Harper I wouldn't be hammering the Gomery stuff immediately," said Mr. Marzolini, noting that the new Conservative Party still carries a lot of the baggage from the old Reform Party which was seen as too socially conservative on most issues, including abortion and same-sex marriage. "You can't win a campaign only based on negatives if you're Stephen Harper because you've got too many negatives. You have to neutralize your negatives, get rid of all your hidden agenda stuff, and put some policies on the table that appeal to mainstream Canadians, and most importantly in Ontario," added Mr. Marzolini who was the official pollster for the Liberal Party under former prime minister Jean Chrétien. Both Mr. Marzolini and Ms. Dasko said the political landscape could change dramatically depending on how Canadians react to the revelations coming out of the Gomery Inquiry. Mr. Brault told the commission that he was pressured into giving over $1.2-million in cash donations and kickbacks to Liberal organizers and bagmen in exchange for federal contracts. It marked the first time someone closed the loop on money going from the federal government to advertising firms and then to the Liberal Party. Mr. Brault delivered the smoking gun the federal opposition parties were looking for. The Gomery Inquiry is following up on last year's Auditor General Sheila Fraser's blockbuster report showing that $100-million in sponsorship funds out of a $250-million envelope were funneled to Liberal-friendly advertising firms for little to no work. On Wednesday, Tory Leader Stephen Harper (Calgary Southwest, Alta.) emerged from his party's closed door national caucus meeting with a clear message that he is not interested in a quick election. He said there is "nothing to indicate we need an election immediately," adding there is important legislation in this Parliament to get through, such as the Liberal's Budget Implementation Bill which includes measures to implement the multi-billion dollar equalization deal for the provinces of Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador. Mr. Harper added that he "won't bring down the government at the urging of the Bloc." Last week, there was speculation that separatist party was going to move a motion on non-confidence in the government this Thursday, April 14. A year ago, the Tory Party was highly critical of government for calling an election in the midst of the House Public Accounts Committee's probe into the sponsorship affair. Because of this, noted party strategists last week, it would be difficult for Mr. Harper to justify puling the plug on the government before Judge Gomery delivers his first report, expected this fall. Ms. Dasko said last year's June 28 election, which reduced the Liberals to a minority after over 10 years of majority rule, is instructive. "The [sponsorship] scandal was important at the beginning of the campaign. But our polling certainly suggested that it wore off. It lost salience as we moved towards the end of the campaign," she said, adding that only in Quebec did the scandal remain the dominant issue throughout the campaign. "I would expect a campaign this spring would do exactly the same thing. I wouldn't expect it to be hugely different," she said. Frank Graves of Ekos said his firm has not done a recent national poll, but is about to go into the field over the next two weeks for media clients. He added Mr. Harper made the right choice to say no to an early election. "Mr. Harper is prudent to keep his powder dry for a while. He's got some very strong cards here. They are not going away. The danger of being seen as the author of an early election, solely for the purposes of exploiting a political opportunity, would probably not sit well with a lot of voters," he said. Mr. Graves also said that the current polling "could be a pretty unreliable gauge of how Canadians might react to a campaign. My personal view is that it would be unlikely that ethics in and of itself would be sufficient to capture voter imagination." The pollsters said the only federal party that stands to gain serious ground by gambling on a snap election would be the Bloc Québécois which currently has 54 of Quebec's 75 seats. "The only one who really has it made by calling an early election is [Bloc Leader] Gilles Duceppe because he thinks he can get 70. And it's likely he could take at least 60 at the present time," said Mr. Marzolini. francoli@hilltimes.com The Hill Times ------------------------------ End of Cdn-Firearms Digest V7 #969 ********************************** Submissions: mailto:cdn-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Mailing List Commands: mailto:majordomo@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Moderator's e-mail address: mailto:akimoya@cogeco.ca List owner: mailto:owner-cdn-firearms@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca FAQ list: http://www.magma.ca/~asd/cfd-faq1.html and http://teapot.usask.ca/cdn-firearms/Faq/cfd-faq1.html Web Site: http://teapot.usask.ca/cdn-firearms/homepage.html FTP Site: ftp://teapot.usask.ca/pub/cdn-firearms/ CFDigest Archives: http://www.sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca/~ab133/ or put the next command in an e-mail message and mailto:majordomo@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca get cdn-firearms-digest v04.n192 end (192 is the digest issue number and 04 is the volume) To unsubscribe from _all_ the lists, put the next five lines in a message and mailto:majordomo@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca unsubscribe cdn-firearms-digest unsubscribe cdn-firearms-alert unsubscribe cdn-firearms-chat unsubscribe cdn-firearms end (To subscribe, use "subscribe" instead of "unsubscribe".) 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