OTTAWA - The fate of the controversial long-gun registry appears to rest with a handful of New Democrat MPs, leaving NDP Leader Jack Layton in a sticky position.
A Tory private member's bill to scrap the registry passed second reading last fall by a narrow vote of 164-137, with eight Liberals and 12 New Democrats siding with the anti-registry Conservatives.
But Liberals now say their dissenting MPs are solidly behind Leader Michael Ignatieff, who has instructed all Grits to oppose the bill when it comes to another vote late next month.
In return for their reluctant support, Ignatieff is promising that a Liberal government would streamline the registration process, eliminate fees for gun licences and decriminalize first-time failures to register firearms.
Liberal MP Wayne Easter, one of the most adamant opponents of the registry, said he now intends to vote against Tory MP Candice Hoeppner's bill.
At a news conference Tuesday, the Prince Edward Island MP called Ignatieff's compromise "a win-win for farmer, hunters and Canadians in general," and predicted it will bridge the urban-rural divide over the gun registry issue.
Similarly, Yukon Liberal MP Larry Bagnell called Ignatieff's compromise "a step forward."
"I think he's heard rural Canadians and tried to come to a compromise," Bagnell said in an interview.
Bagnell noted he has voted against the registry every time there's been a free vote on the issue, including second reading on Hoeppner's bill. He wouldn't specifically say how he'll vote next time but made it clear Liberal MPs will no longer be free to vote as they see fit on the matter.
"My understanding is we don't have any choice, that it's going to be a whipped vote," he said.
Privately, Liberal insiders say they expect all eight anti-registry Liberals to fall solidly in line behind Ignatieff.
That leaves the fate of the bill with the NDP, which is badly divided over the issue. Hoeppner's bill could still pass with the support of as few as three New Democrats.
Layton personally favours retention of the registry, as do two-thirds of his caucus. But a dozen New Democrats, primarily from rural and northern ridings, have won election at least partly on the basis of their anti-registry views.
Layton has refused to force his MPs to support the registry, insisting his party has never whipped votes on private member's bills. However, he's asked his justice critic, Joe Comartin, to try to find a compromise.
Comartin has said several of his anti-registry colleagues are rethinking their position but nine remain adamantly opposed.
One of those opponents -- Western Arctic MP Dennis Bevington --said Tuesday he has no intention of switching sides.
"My plan is to continue to vote as I've voted in the past," he said.
Still, New Democrat strategists are privately hoping some MPs will be persuaded by the vigorous campaign to save the gun registry, launched Monday by police chiefs across the country.
Moreover, Layton called Tuesday on Prime Minister Stephen Harper to release a report evaluating the effectiveness of the Canadian Firearms Program, which he said the government has been sitting on since February. The report is expected to be predominantly positive.
"Canadians have strong feelings on the registry and New Democrats are calling on the prime minister to make sure all information is available," Layton said in a statement.
"This country is divided and we need to bridge the gap between rural and urban Canadians . . . Real leadership means bringing communities together, not using this politically sensitive issue as a wedge to divide Canadians."
Public Safety Minister Vic Toews said in a statement that the government is waiting for the RCMP to sign off on the final version of the evaluation report. He insisted the report is irrelevant to the vote on Hoeppner's bill.
"Canadians don't need another report to know that the long-gun registry is very efficient at harassing law-abiding farmers and outdoors enthusiasts, while wasting billions of taxpayers' dollars," Toews said.
"They don't need another report to know that the registry does nothing to prevent crime."
While Layton called for leadership on the issue, he's so far refused to command his own caucus. And Liberals -- who've been looking for ways to appeal to urban NDP voters and puncture Layton's personal popularity -- are already saying the NDP leader's fingerprints will be on the trigger should the registry die.
NDP MPs are to wrestle with the issue during a caucus retreat next month in Regina, just before Parliament resumes.
During the first week after the return of parliament on Sept. 20, the ouse of Commons is to vote on a Liberal motion that would kill Hoeppner's bill. If the bills survives that vote, it will still have to pass a vote at third and final reading.
