".. the Liberal Party opposes the Conservatives’ effort to scrap the gun registry altogether and we will vote against the Hoeppner bill at third reading in the House of Commons...”
So, essentially, Iggy wants the Liberal Party to focus on vote-rich, genteel urban ridings in Quebec and Ontario and to hell with the needs, wants and traditions of those living outside those areas? This approach will only serve to further Balkanize Canadian politics and, in all likelihood, the Liberal Party.
Convention dictates that political parties allow MPs to vote freely on private members bills. The minority Parliament has turned this, and other conventions, on its head. It's unlikely, but not impossible, that Harper will attach confidence to this bill, therefore there's no downside to the Ignatieff allowing MPs to a free vote.The vote will not make or break the Liberal caucus but Ignatieff's heavy handedness just might.
The gun registry was a Liberal invention but this fact does not dictate that Liberal MPs should always vote for the status quo. The NEP was a Liberal idea and there's not one Liberal in the land that would vote to get it back.
By whipping his caucus brethren, Ignatieff opens himself to the same criticisms many level at Harper, that he's intolerant of dissent and a growing control issues. As Jane Taber of the G&M points out, Iggy is still suffering the slings and arrows of outrageous voting by his own MPs over the party's abortion motion two weeks ago.
Let's assume the Conservatives get their way and the bill passes third reading. The Liberals will have an opportunity to reinstate the full registry in the near future, about six weeks after Harper falls on his sword and puts is government out of our collective misery. Whipping his MPs on a relatively minor piece of legislation is overkill.
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