News

If elected prime minister, NDP Leader Jack Layton promised Sunday to give all the provinces and territories the power to implement a total handgun ban in their jurisdictions.

Mr. Layton was following on an announcement he made in Alberta on Saturday, during which he was confronted by a group of protesters who Mr. Layton suggested prefer the American approach to handgun law.

“Yesterday I was in Alberta to argue that Canada needs to get a lot tougher on gangs, on crime, on the causes of crime and on handguns. And I was greeted by a few protesters who wanted Canada to deal with handguns the way the United States does,” Mr. Layton said.

“Here's what I have to say them: Americans pay a terrible price for their reckless approach to firearms, and people in this country don't want that here.”

Crime appeared to be the issue of the day on Sunday, as the Conservatives also took a hard line on crime measures.

Mr. Layton spoke to reporters at the national library and archives preservation centre in Gatineau. He tailored his message to those living in cities such as Montreal. Mr. Layton said the city's mayor wrote a letter to all party leaders asking for, among other things, action on handguns.

The NDP is pressing hard to make inroads in Quebec, and Mr. Layton has already made three trips to the province during this election campaign, with more trips expected in the coming days and weeks.

But Mr. Layton's announcement this weekend is also directed to the NDP's base in cities such as Toronto. Indeed, the NDP leader made an emotional connection to the proposed handgun ban and his own experiences as a Member of Parliament for a riding that has had several tragic experiences with gun violence.

“As an MP who had three constituents gunned down in the recent past in the street as innocent bystanders, I feel strongly about this,” he said.

Mr. Layton began the day canvassing with NDP candidate Françoise Boivin in Gatineau. Ms. Boivin once held the riding as a Liberal, then lost it in the last election to the Bloc Québécois. The NDP hope they can grab the seat at a time when polls show the Bloc's appeal is waning.

Mr. Layton's next stop is Toronto, where the NDP leader flies Sunday night and where the anti-handgun message is likely to get a much more receptive audience than the NDP leader's Alberta announcement.

It appears the coming week of the election campaign will focus heavily on guns and crime. The Conservatives used the crime issues to launch another broadside at their biggest opposition on Sunday, announcing that any effort by the Liberals against Conservative crime legislation in the next Parliament will result in another election.

“For two-and-a-half years, the Liberal Party has consistently tried to obstruct or water down tougher laws that would crack down on gun violence, property crime, sexual predators and impaired driving,” Conservative candidate Rob Nicholson said in a statement.

“Whether it is in the House of Commons, at Committee or in the Senate, any undue obstruction from the Opposition will result in a quick return trip to the polls.”

Week 3 of the campaign

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• MAP ARCHIVES: Days 1-3, Days 4-7, Week 2.