Ms. Candice Hoeppner (Portage—Lisgar, CPC): Mr. Speaker, the Conservative Party has been opposed to the long gun registry since the Liberals introduced it over a decade ago. This morning I debated my private member's bill which would end the long gun registry and I look forward to opposition members voting their constituents' wishes and not being whipped on this important issue.

    My question is for the Minister of Public Safety. It was with great shock that we learned that the Canadian Firearms Centre shared important information about law-abiding gun owners with a polling firm. This is a serious breach of privacy and security. Did the Minister approve of this highly inappropriate polling?

    Hon. Peter Van Loan (Minister of Public Safety, CPC): Mr. Speaker, I thank the Hon. Member for her outstanding work on behalf of farmers, outdoors enthusiasts and their lawful right. I am very much surprised that this survey took place. I can tell the House it was undertaken without my authority, without any consultation with me. The high cost of it at $80,000 is staggeringly poor judgment at an economic time like this. We have been hearing from firearms owners for years that they fear their privacy would be put at risk, their privacy rights would be deprived if we had a registry like this. What they saw with this survey was exactly those fears coming true. We do not approve of that. That is wrong.