I'm taking a bit of a vacation this week, but I wanted to comment briefly on the latest unreasonable position I've heard lately taken by a public official.

This particular issue, which will be blowing up your TVs and radios once the Canadian government comes back into session after a long summer break, is about the long gun registry.  It is a highly charged and contentious debate, with the Conservative minority government insisting that it should be scrapped because it inconveniences farmers and hunters.  Meanwhile, on the other side of the issue are numerous groups including the nation's various police organizations who say that the long gun registry is extremely helpful to their police work.

In the midst of this burgeoning debate, a report from Statistics Canada is being withheld by the government from consumption by opposition MPs and the public for reasons Public Safety minister Vic Toews' spokesperson described to the Toronto Star as, "Canadians don't need another report to know that the long-gun registry is very efficient at harassing law-abiding farmers and outdoors enthusiasts." 

Lots of rhetoric and no substance means we're in the land of ideology and politics.

The government's position doesn't make a lot of sense to me unless you're not really interested in information, because quite frankly we all rely on reliable information to make good judgments and decisions every day, from business to personal finances.  Whatever the report says is beside the point.  The question I keep asking myself is why wouldn't you want to evaluate all available information to make the best decision possible, especially when it comes to national policies? 

It doesn't make sense, unless you look at it from a political eye.  In which case, the only reason you would want to push such a controversial and unreasonable approach as to tell the media that you're sitting on information would be to rally your base for an election you know is coming within the next year.