Yukon Conservative woos gun registry opponents

Ryan Leef, Yukon's Conservative candidate in the federal election, says Yukoners who oppose the long-gun registry should vote for him, not for Liberal incumbent Larry Bagnell.

Speaking to reporters Monday in Whitehorse, Leef pointed out that Bagnell — a longtime critic of the federal long-gun registry — voted against scrapping the controversial program on Sept. 22.

Leef, who vowed to scrap the long-gun registry if he is elected, said Bagnell betrayed Yukoners by opposing the registry when he ran for office, then voting in Parliament to save it.

"When you make a commitment to the Yukoners that you're going to vote one way, and you've heard your constituents loud and clear … Yukoners should be able to take that to the bank," Leef said.

But Bagnell said Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff made the gun-registry matter a whipped vote, meaning all Liberal MPs must vote the same way or face discipline.

Judge the overall record: Bagnell

Bagnell, who has been Yukon's member of Parliament since 2000, said voters should judge him on his overall record, not just the long-gun registry issue, when they go to the polls next month.

"There's so many other things that I'm fighting for them over the years, the hundreds of things, the hundreds of battles I've won for them on other issues," Bagnell told CBC News.

Bagnell said he has consistently opposed the gun registry because he believes that is what most of his constituents want, but he learned in recent months that there are more supporters of the program than he had realized.

If a free vote were to be held on the registry today, Bagnell said he would have to talk to people to find out what they really want.

"My sense is that there's probably more opposed to the registry, and that's how it is I've always done it on free votes … vote as I thought would be best for my constituents and what my constituents felt," he said.

Leef said the Conservative Party's promise to scrap the long-gun registry is part of a larger plan to protect the lifestyles of northern and rural Canadians.

Hunting panel promised

If re-elected, the Tories would also establish a hunting and wildlife advisory panel that would advise the government on issues such as endangered species and wetlands protection, Leef said.

When asked how Yukon's economy would fare better under the Conservatives, Leef pointed to the Liberals' promise to fund an NHL arena in Quebec City.

"I don't want to see our government pay billionaires to pay millionaires. I want an arena in Ross River, not a coliseum in Quebec," Leef said, referring to the community centre in Ross River, Yukon, that burned to the ground last month.

Leef said if he is elected as Yukon's MP, he would be duty-bound to put the wishes of his constituents ahead of the party line.

But Bagnell said Leef would be naive to think he could defy Conservative Leader Stephen Harper and not be punished for it.

"I don't think Mr. Leef would be there very long, at least in the party, if he said to Mr. Harper, 'I'm sorry, I'm not voting with the party,'" Bagnell said.

"Once he's outside the party, it's really hard to build enough allies to get the things that you want through, either in committee or in Parliament."