Tories kill access to 'CAIRS' information database

[Alta4ever]

The Tories didn't follow the advice of the person they cited all day in regards to CAIRs. Reporters from Canadian Press use the registry all the time according to CP.

I think I've heard this talk about the glorious future of the Conservative party before about they follow the brilliant north star. I thought they dropped that campaign.

Wow there must be a disconect between your eyes and your brain, I never said anything about the future of the conservative party, just the future of Canada.

BTW I do not campaign for the CPC I am a small c conservative not a Big C.

After all the advice, I too would have done the same thing because of a few words uttered, "at virtually no cost''. At virtually no cost we could have a long gun registery and how much did that cost?

And thanks for glossing over the first part of my post.

[nothinarian]

Wow look at the vocal interests on this board whine!

Any government scandal tory or liberal was never found through this, it was people who came forward with information, not the press finding it through an access to information data base. Any wonder why the press never uses it? The fact is this government is doing what the people of Canada want and need, they are leading us into the future. They are not squabbling over coffee like the Ont. Liberal Gov. is. They are not dithering back and forth on issues like the last Liberal government, and they are not leaving new legislation to judges (Chretiens government), this Conservative Party Government under Harper is doing something no government has done in 30 years. They are leading our country on an ascending path to future greatness. That is something more then vocal interest (NDP) and the vested interests (Liberals) of this country who do not seem to be concerned with what is best for Canadians. Just the groups they represent with no regard to the future. The tide is turning!

From what I can see it was accessed 200 times a month or 7 times a day if we look at story link and mostly by media - Seems to jive with Star story numbers of 2-3k per annum

http://www.onlinedemocracy.ca/CAIRS/Amber_Jn04.pdf

I would need budget for CAIRS to determine what that would cost taxpayers per request - I know others will scream that you can't put a price on transparency but I respectfully disagree - it is always about the most effective use of funds to reach the end goal although unfortunately in this case I do not see an alternative and more effective system being proposed by the government

Unlike the other boondoggle registry -People also claimed you couldn't put a price on safety/security but instead of investing more in effective gun control (licensing, manadatory storage, training, ) they supported wasting it on the ineffective registry - even tories haven't had the guts to scrap it - probably political considerations re: quebec/urbania the culprit

To I would have felt better if they had deep sixed the real registry culprit and proposed a less expensive and more effective alternative for CAIRS

Hilarious story from the hill - these guys are keystone cops on this one - some staffers head will roll a la Niagara (or Viagara-if Liberal-put it together ) falls incident -Seems almost Hillieresque but I guess they can't toss him

[jdobbin]

Wow there must be a disconect between your eyes and your brain, I never said anything about the future of the conservative party, just the future of Canada.

Sounded the argument was that they were one and the same.

BTW I do not campaign for the CPC I am a small c conservative not a Big C.

The campaign seems the same whether it is big C or little C.

After all the advice, I too would have done the same thing because of a few words uttered, "at virtually no cost''. At virtually no cost we could have a long gun registery and how much did that cost?

The registry for information costs under a few hundred thousand. It was established by a Progressive Conservative government to fulfill the role of transparency and accountability. I happen to support its operation and can say that the Mulroney government did something right by putting it in place.

I was not in favour of the long gun registry. I didn't think the infrastructure was in place at the federal level for a separate registry. I believed that the Firearms Certificate was the proper place for a gun owner to list their weapons and this information would have stayed with the gunowner unless they were asked by law enforcement to produce their certificate.

As it happens now, the registry for gun now pays for itself and runs efficiently according to the Auditor-General. It is accessed by the police 5000 times a day according the Canadian Press. It would be as foolish for the Tories to kill the gun registry now as it was foolish for the Liberals to start it up.

And thanks for glossing over the first part of my post.

About the whining?

It was the Tories who have been crying for more accountability and transparency in Ottawa. I don't know how they get that by ending a program that fulfills that. I have seen no evidence they have anything to replace it.

[Alta4ever]

Can the left even devlop a dream anymore, much less a plan of action to acheive it.

True leadership is the ability to dream about what could be, then have the fortitude to turn that dream into fact through action.

[Shakeyhands]

Can the left even devlop a dream anymore, much less a plan of action to acheive it.

True leadership is the ability to dream about what could be, then have the fortitude to turn that dream into fact through action.

Pretty fluffy Alta.. pretty fluffy indeed.

It was your party that cried and carried on about accountability, why the effort to stifle it now?

[jdobbin]

Can the left even devlop a dream anymore, much less a plan of action to acheive it.

True leadership is the ability to dream about what could be, then have the fortitude to turn that dream into fact through action.

Can the right be transparent and accountable?

[Topaz]

Can the left even devlop a dream anymore, much less a plan of action to acheive it.

True leadership is the ability to dream about what could be, then have the fortitude to turn that dream into fact through action.

One leaderships dream can be a "nightmare" for another or even the country!! Just look at GW's dream of taking out Hussein, look at the mess he make of that country, the millions who have had to leave and those who had to stayed and died! My question is does Harper dream of a union between the US and Canada and Mexico like Bush does? That would be another nightmare for millions of people in all 3 countries, so we better wake them up and tell them quit dreaming!

[margrace]

Dosen't it seem a bit worrisome that the Shiela Fraser voiced concerns about having to report to Harper before anything is aired, doesn't it concern the nay sayers on here that CAIRS is being shut down and that all this is happening when the people from Mexico, the US and Canada, mainly big business are in secret talks about joining all of North America.

Notice that rules concerning drug testing, for instance, are being relaxed in some of the new proposals. Harper would be king, just like Bush, he would like to be able, for instance, to put us into wars such as Iraq without really having to have the permission of the people.

Harper for the first time last year took the salute from the veterans along side the Govenor General, wasn't that rather a nice thing to see, I wonder. Harper cannot put us into wars as Bush can, he is not the Cammander in Chief. But he seems to be having a little trouble getting someone to head our armed forces who takes all his orders from him.

This man is scarry, Canadians for God's sake wake up or you won't have a country. There are obviously people planted on here arguing everything that is disputed. And yes one of the arguments is that old ladies have no knowledge of the world and should not be on here..

Edited May 6, 2008 by margrace

[bush_cheney2004]

Dosen't it seem a bit worrisome that the Shiela Fraser voiced concerns about having to report to Harper before anything is aired, doesn't it concern the nay sayers on here that CAIRS is being shut down and that all this is happening when the people from Mexico, the US and Canada, mainly big business are in secret talks about joining all of North America.

No, not worrisome at all. Rewind to "secret" FTA / NAFTA meetings....there was much fear and trepidation then too.

Notice that rules concerning drug testing, for instance, are being relaxed in some of the new proposals. Harper would be king, just like Bush, he would like to be able, for instance, to put us into wars such as Iraq without really having to have the permission of the people.

Well, that didn't seem to bother PM Chretien at all. No permission needed to bomb the crap out of Serbs. What did "the people" do?

This man is scarry, Canadians for God's sake wake up or you won't have a country. There are obviously people planted on here arguing everything that is disputed. And yes one of the arguments is that old ladies have no knowledge of the world and should not be on here..

That's what worshipping at the UN alter will get you. Canadians are about 8% of the North American population....with more "old ladies" than young! Who/what have they been voting for?

[jdobbin]

Commissioner's office blasts database shutdown.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/sto...y/National/home

OTTAWA — Another officer of Parliament slammed the Harper government yesterday when the Office of the Information Commissioner attacked a recent unilateral clampdown on Ottawa's access-to-information policy.

Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion joined in the criticism, accusing Prime Minister Stephen Harper of running the "most secretive government in the history of the country."

The political furor flowed from Ottawa's decision last month to quietly stop providing monthly updates to the public of all the requests it is answering under the Access to Information Act.

Critics said the move is part of a Conservative effort to shut down the release of politically sensitive, and at times damaging, federal documents.

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Compiled into a free database, the list of all active requests under access to information was regularly used by MPs, journalists and other Canadians who were looking for information from various federal agencies.

The Tories would do well to explain how they are making information more accessible because plainly complaints are up not down at the moment.

[Kitchener]

I don't think anyone can seriously contend at this point that the Harper government has lived up to its promise for more transparent and open government. This is but the latest in a string of maneuvers that will make it harder to find out about government malfeasance.

Edited May 7, 2008 by Kitchener