Gun registry vote set for today

Projections show that the program will be saved by a slim two-vote margin.

If no MP decides to play hooky or has a last minute change of heart, a head count in Parliament suggests the Conservative bill to kill the long-gun registry will be defeated today 153-151. The vote, set for 5:45 pm, comes after weeks of political arm-twisting. Michael Ignatieff has put his leadership on the line by ordering all Liberal MPs to show up and vote against the bill, and Jack Layton has spent the past two weeks trying to convince NDPers to save the registry. The Conservatives appear headed for defeat today but they could profit in the long run. Opposition support for the registry is the Conservative’s second-most lucrative fundraising issue, and that won’t change if the program’s saved today.