Podunk Below the Masthead, Thursday, November 5, 2009

The Long Gun Registry cancellation bill gets the votes, the clinic is open but no one can hear you and Rupert's flu vaccine roll out gets underway, some of the items of note for Thursday.

Daily News, Front page, headline story
TAKING ONE'S VOTE OUT AGAINS THE LONG GUN REGISTRY-- NDP MP Nathan Cullen followed through on a promise to vote in favour of scrapping the Long Gun Registry, part of the group of 167 MP's who provided passage on second reading, but he now is challenging the Conservative Government of Stephen Harper to engage in a serious debate on gun violence in the nation, which is dividing up along rural/urban lines.

We have the clinic, but not the professional. Prince Rupert's audiology clinic has been without an audiologist since the summer, a concern that has the MLA for the North coast, the NDP's Gary Coons looking for answers from Health Minister Kevin Falcon.

Forest Minister Pat Bell is leading a delegation of senior forest industry leaders off on a trade mission to China and Japan. Thirty three participants will leave BC on Sunday seeking to improve trade and increase sales of British Columbia forestry products. Among some of the sessions planned while overseas are meeting with Chinese companies that Mr. Bell says are showing interest in purchasing pulp mills in the province.

The Sports section features a preview of a scaled down TNT basketball tournament scheduled for Thursday, Friday and Saturday at the Russell Gamble Auditorium. The PRMBA's weekly update also appeared in the Thursday paper.

(Daily News Archive Articles for November 5)

The Northern View
Hundreds line up for H1N1 vaccine in Prince Rupert as supply questions arise-- The Northern View provides the first update on the progress of the H1N1 flu vaccination clinics organized by Northern Health and taking place in the city this week (see article here)

CFTK TV 7 News
Cullen Hopes Review will be Expanded--NDP MP Nathan Cullen offers up his first thoughts on the announcement of a Judicial Inquiry into the salmon fishery set for next year, Cullen offers up the suggestion that the study should involve a wider area of the province than just the Fraser River crisis (see article here)

CFTK TV 7 News
Enbridge Official Asks Cullen Not to Rush to Judgement-- The proponents of the northern Gateway project are looking for NDP MP Nathan Cullen to keep an open mind about the project, suggesting that he wait for the hearing phase before he comes to a final determination of his position on the project (see article here)

CBC Northern British Columbia, Daybreak North
Where do the children play-- A look at how parents and children are coping with the closure of the schools of Kitimat due to the outbreak of flu in the community (listen to interview here)

Daily News, Front page, headline story
Taking one's vote out against the Long Gun Registry
The Long Gun Registry debate is dividing rural against urban.
By Monica Lamb-Yorski
The Daily News
Thursday, November 5, 2009

Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP Nathan Cullen said it is time to have a grown-up debate about gun violence in Canada.

He was reacting to Thursday’s vote in the House of Commons to scrap the Long Gun Registry. Bill C-391 in its second reading was passed by a vote of 167 to 134.

“I did what I said I was going to do, but I’m pretty ticked off at the government. This debate has been dividing rural and urban Canadians. If you look at the vote it was almost exactly down the middle of urban being against scrapping the registry and rural being in favour,” he said.

According to Cullen, the Liberals and some of the NDP were voting for its passage and from this point, the debate will proceed into the hands of the Public Safety Committee for further study.

When asked if the committee will travel across the country to hear from Canadians, Cullen said that could be an option.

In the Skeena-Bulkley Riding Cullen has heard overwhelmingly from his constituents that the registry needs to be scrapped.

“People in rural communities have had a long history of troubles with the registry and question its effectiveness,” he noted.

“In urban centres people equate gun registry with controlling guns and it doesn’t — it’s only symbolic.”

Cullen believes gun control is more popular in cities where people don’t have an understanding of proper gun use.

“In rural areas we have farmers and hunters who know what they are doing. It is time to bridge the divide,” Cullen said of the debate. “I think it can be done.”

Taking the debate to the next level is the only thing that makes sense to the MP.

“We need to get to the larger conversation about why violence is increasing. We need to be giving the right tools to the police and to support preventative programs, which government has been taking money away from,” Cullen said.

“It’s a complex issue,” he said.