STEWIACKE - The member of Parliament who led the campaign to have Canada's long-gun registry eliminated is coming to Stewiacke this week.
Candice Hoeppner, a Manitoba Conservative MP, will be at Whistler's Pub from noon to 1 p.m.on Friday. The 46-year-old introduced her private members bill on May 15, 2009. The bill was narrowly defeated 153-151 in September 2010.
"It was something I worked very diligently on with her," said Cumberland-Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley MP Scott Armstrong. "In our riding we had collected about 3,500 names to eliminate the long-gun registry."
He said Hoeppner is coming to Nova Scotia to attend a rally in Windsor and there was time in her schedule to stop in Stewiacke. He sees the event as an opportunity for residents to express their views on the long-gun registry while meeting someone he calls a "high profile" Conservative Party member.
"It was a big issue during the byelection and continues to be a big issue at the doorstep," Armstrong said of the registry. "This is something that is still a hot-button issue among residents in our riding."
The registry has existed for about 15 years but many Canadians disagree with the usefulness of the system, which requires Canadians to registers rifles and shotguns.
Armstrong expects another bill could be introduced to eliminate the long-gun registry following the next federal election.
jmalloy@trurodaily.com
