Dear 'my correct name here'
Thank you very much for your email. I also really appreciate that you have been a Green Party supporter.
You asked about two very important subjects: Military spending and gun control. I will do my best to respond to your concerns.
Military Spending
The Green Party of Canada believes that Canada has, under the Harper government, strayed dangerously far from our roots as a peacemaker. Canada's foreign policy approach is Diplomacy, Development, and Defense, yet combat has become heavily weighted in the NATO/U.S. command in Afghanistan. Canada, through the Department of Foreign Affairs, has traditionally been known for and relied upon for its diplomacy on the world stage, however our nation's role of diplomat has eroded. In 2006-7, Canada contributed $6.2 million to UN peacekeeping missions and $1.4 billion to the NATO mission in Afghanistan. In 2006 there were approximately 2,500 members of Canadian Forces in the Kandahar Province of Afghanistan, but just 56 Canadians troops on UN peacekeeping missions worldwide. It is critical that Canada re-establishes itself as a global leader in peace-making. Our foreign policy objectives need to include multilateral disarmament, particularly nuclear disarmament, and support for United Nations peacekeeping operations. I have found no reference in the Green Party platform to cutting military spending, but rather a shift in emphasis from combat to peacekeeping and development, both of which require a strong military.
Gun Control and Ownership Rights
On this topic, I am going to provide you information directly from the Green Party Platform document "Vision Green". The Green Party believes that a responsible government will balance the need for public safety and the freedom of law-abiding citizens. As a party dedicated to practical solutions and clear results, we recognize the fact that guns are too often a part of violent crimes in our cities as well as the reality that many rural Canadians are responsible hunters and marksmen.
The Green Party understands that it is time to get tough on gun smuggling across the US border. Thousands of handguns are coming across the border and into our urban centres. We need to work with the Mexican government to press for US action against gun smugglers and investment in tougher border measures to halt the movement of unlawful firearms.
The Green Party will scale back the bureaucratic burden of the current gun registry in consultation with hunters, First Nations, gun collectors, and sportsmen. We will develop a registration system that effectively aids our law enforcement officers without criminalizing responsible citizens.
The risks created by having dangerous weapons in our urban centres are significant. We will introduce balanced and fair measures to eventually ban handguns and semi-automatic firearms. At the same time, the use of guns in our urban centres is typically not the same as the use of guns in our rural communities. We will ensure that law-abiding citizens are free from unreasonable fees and the threat of criminalization.
Green Solutions
Green Party MPs will:
-Provide increased support for Integrated Border Enforcement Teams made up of officers from the RCMP, Canada Border Services, U.S. Customs and the U.S. Coast Guard in their gathering of intelligence and arresting of gun smugglers.
-Put strict measures in place for those who try crossing the Canada/USA border with weapons.
-Work hard to create a registration system that is fair, free, and easy to use. We will eliminate registration fees and decriminalize registration for hunting rifles and ensure law-abiding citizens do not
have their firearms confiscated.
-Phase out the personal use of handguns and semi-automatic weapons by means of careful review and consultation, an enhancement of gun registry, and the development of other programs to control gun use and ownership.
I hope this information is helpful 'my correct name here'.
Best regards,
Natalie Odd
Calgary Centre Candidate
Green Party of Canada
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