OTTAWA—The federal government has opened a new front on the war over the long-gun registry, blaming Toronto “elites” for driving support for the registry at the expense of rural Canadian gun owners.

With Parliamentary support for killing the registry slipping away, Conservative House Leader John Baird blamed politicians in Canada’s largest city for pressuring colleagues into changing their positions in advance of a crucial vote in the House of Commons next week.

It is not the first time Baird has launched an attack on Toronto and outgoing Mayor David Miller said the minister was “inaccurate and divisive.”

At a Thursday news conference, Baird said it was Toronto-based party leaders — Liberal Michael Ignatieff and New Democrat Jack Layton — and their “friends” driving the pro-registry lobby.

While outlining the government’s priorities — the economy being number 1 — for the upcoming Parliamentary session, Baird warned that “flip flopping” MPs who “face pressure from Toronto elites” and change their votes will be held accountable at the polls.

Baird had to apologize last summer to Miller after he was overheard by the Toronto’s Star’s Petti Fong saying the city “should f— off” during a dispute over Toronto’s application under the federal government’s $4 billion infrastructure stimulus fund.

Opposition critics chuckle at the fact the “pugnacious” Baird has been tagged by his party to elevate the level of debate and decorum in the Commons.

Layton laughed out loud when told of Baird’s comments and Miller said the continuation of the long-gun registry was not merely a Toronto concern.

“With all due respect to Minister Baird, who has been a good friend to Toronto on many issues, he is wrong on this one. Saving the registry is not an exclusively Toronto issue at all. It is a position held by a great many Canadians and, of course, by the association of police chiefs,” said Miller.

“It’s my hope that MPs from across the country will be voting to maintain the registry and support Canadian values of safe homes and safe communities.”

Speaking on behalf of Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair, who has been one of the most high profile police advocates for the registry, spokesperson Mark Pugash said the force is not going to get sucked into a political battle.

“We’ve said from the beginning of this that we will leave politics to the politicians. Our only concern is public safety,” Pugash said, adding that Blair strongly believes the registry is vital to public safety.

With Liberal MP John McCallum (Markham-Unionville) promising “100 per cent” Grit support for killing the bill and more New Democrats switching sides to back the registry each day, the government’s aggressive anti-registry campaign appears doomed.

The gun registry bill, introduced by Manitoba MP Candice Hoeppner, passed at second reading and was sent to a parliamentary committee, which held hearings on the registry.

The committee’s opposition majority approved a report to the Commons recommending the bill go no further “because the committee has heard sufficient testimony that the bill will dismantle a tool that promotes and enhances public security and the safety of Canadian police officers.”

The vote Wednesday will be on whether MPs support or oppose the report’s recommendations. If the no side wins, the bill continues through the House and eventually to the Senate. If the vote is yes, the legislation is dead.

NDP MP Carol Hughes (Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing) announced earlier Thursday she will join four other New Democrat colleagues in switching gears and voting against killing the registry. More are expected to come forward before the vote.

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“I am confident that we have the votes needed to defeat Bill C-391,” Layton told a later news conference.

“Today I have a message for the Prime Minister: ‘You don’t have the votes to adopt your bill but you do have the power to work with us to fix the registry to deal with the outstanding complaints and to improve public safety here in Canada,’” he said, adding he deplored the ongoing Conservative campaign to pit rural against urban Canadians.

Baird said it was “disingenuous” for Liberal and NDP MPs to tell their constituents they opposed the registry but now are doing an about face. He emphasized that killing the registry is a “huge priority” for the government sooner or later.

“I obviously share the disappointment of many of my colleagues that people who had fought for so long, so hard and so passionately against the registry are now feeling the pressure from the two Toronto leaders, Mr. Ignatieff and Mr. Layton,” Baird said.

“So we will see how it goes on Wednesday. We will see whether people do in fact show up. We’re all accountable. We make clear and unambiguous promises in our constituencies and then face pressure from Toronto elites.”

Asked by the Toronto Star what he meant by the Toronto elites, Baird said “Mr. Ignatieff and his friends,” and gave the names of Toronto MPs Carolyn Bennett and Bob Rae as examples.

In Toronto, a group of current École Polytechnique students and survivors of the university’s 1989 massacre were campaigning to save the long-gun registry in Layton’s riding where they urged him to bring his MPs into line.

“He’s (Layton) playing with fire. He’s betting on the ideal circumstances where every single MP would show up and vote according to predictions. That’s not reality. There are too many uncertainties,” said gun control advocate Heidi Rathjen, who was in the same building as Marc Lépine when he shot and killed 14 women.

McCallum said it is a “bit much” that Baird has criticized Ignatieff for whipping the vote on the gun registry when “his own members are whipped, including urban members.”

“We in our party are determined to save the gun registry, albeit with some compromises to alleviate concerns in rural Canada,” he said.

With files from Chloe Fedio and Robyn Doolittle

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