In recent days we have seen members of the New Democratic Party and Liberal Party of Canada publicly announce they are switching their positions on the Bill to end the long gun registry. While they voted to scrap the registry on second reading, they will now vote to keep it by supporting an opposition amendment.

One of the biggest surprises was that of NDP MP Peter Stoffer who said he will vote against the Bill, partly because Prime Minister Stephen Harper categorically rejected any offer of compromise. A second surprise was the position of P.E.I. Liberal MP Wayne Easter who says he'll switch his vote in the House of Commons and support the "compromise" position Michael Ignatieff has proposed.

The flip-flop of these and other MPs raises two very important questions that voters need to remember. First, how does their position compare with the democratic wishes of the majority of Canadians and secondly, how can anyone change a position based on principle?

To answer the first question you only have to look at public opinion polls taken across the country. One at the Winnipeg Free Press had those in favour of scrapping the registry voting 95% to 5%[1]. Another poll at the Thunder Bay Chronicle Journal was 78.9% to 15.25[2]. A third poll at CTV had opponents of the registry at 73%, supporters at 27%[3]. Clearly, when Canadians have an opportunity to express their views directly on the question, they overwhelmingly vote to have the registry scrapped.

The second question is, in its way, even more important; for if a man won't stick to his principles under stress, of what value to us are either the man or his principles? In this case the principle that's made the long gun registry debate so hot has been whether the public is to be trusted. The registry, introduced by the Liberal Party of Canada, effectively criminalized all licensed gun owners in Canada by declaring they can't or won't take care of their weapons. Instead, Ottawa set up a 2 Billion dollar bureaucracy to look after private property.

This isn't really a question of cost, or of safety, or any of the scare-mongering issues raised by the Liberals and the NDP. The long gun registry debate is over a principle, and the principle is whether Canadians generally, and gun owners specifically, can be trusted by their government. That's why Prime Minister Harper said he won't compromise on the Bill and why Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff said he would.

The CHP remains committed to abolishing the long gun registry and allowing responsible Canadian citizens to look after their own private property. Your MP's vote is his/her property and shouldn't be usurped by his/her leader.

So, no matter how the debate ends, please remember these two things: the will of the people and trust in the people. On Election Day, you'll be able to let the politicians know what you think of the decisions they made.