Harper, Charest don't see eye to eye on gun registry
The prime minister and Quebec's premier were at odds on Thursday over the need for a gun registry in the wake of Wednesday's tragic shooting rampage at a Montreal college.
Reporters asked Prime Minister Stephen Harper at a news conference Thursday if the shootings changed his opinion about the need for such a gun registry, which his government is in the process of scrapping.
Harper said it wasn't the time to discuss government policies.
"I will say simply that the legislation we have in force today didn't prevent the incident," he said.
"We'll try to find more effective legislation in the future."
But Quebec Premier Jean Charest insisted that the shooting reinforces the need for a national gun registry to keep track of weapons and their owners.
"We all recognize that even though there may be registries and controls, that there will always be individuals in our society who are deeply sick in some instances and we can't predict what they'll do," he said.
"But if the registry could save a few lives because it's there â¦then I think it's worth keeping."
Charest said he spoke to Harper Wednesday night and made his position clear.
Quebec officials, including Public Security Minister Jacques Dupuis, said they will go to Ottawa to fight for the system.
Both Harper and Charest expressed their condolences to the family of business student Anastasia DeSousa, 18.
She was killed when a man stormed into Montreal's Dawson College just before 1 p.m. ET on Wednesday. He was armed with three weapons that media reports say were legally registered to him.
A total of 19 other students and staff were injured before gunman Kimveer Gill, 25, died during a shootout with police.