Michael Ignatieff has come up with a compromise he hopes will mollify critics of the long-gun registry and thwart a Conservative attempt to scrap it.

Declaring it a matter of national unity, the Liberal leader announced Monday that all his MPs will be required to vote against a Tory private member's bill aimed at eradicating the controversial registry.

But he's promising reluctant Grits that a Liberal government would reform the registry to make it more palatable to shotgun and rifle owners, particularly in rural, northern and remote areas.

Ignatieff's proposed changes would permanently eliminate fees for new gun licences, renewals and upgrades and allow police to treat first-time failures to register firearms as a "simple, non-criminal ticketing offence," rather than a criminal offence.

Ignatieff also promised to "streamline" the registration process.

"If we want and need people to register their firearms, we shouldn't be creating unnecessary obstacles," Ignatieff told a Canadian Police Association conference.

"We shouldn't be treating them as criminals, we shouldn't be harassing them. We should make this easy. But we believe in the integrity of one gun registry across Canada."

A bill to scrap the registry has been introduced by Manitoba Tory backbencher Candice Hoeppner.

Eight Liberal MPs and a dozen New Democrats voted with the government last November to pass the bill at second reading.

At the time, there were no repercussions for the Liberals who broke ranks - even though it was a Liberal government that created the registry, which currently contains data on about seven million long guns.

But, having developed his proposed reforms in consultation with those dissident MPs, Ignatieff said he will insist that all Liberals vote against the bill when it comes to a third and final vote, likely next month.

"This is not a private member's bill. This is a government bill that doesn't have the courage to say it's a government bill and we will whip it, yes," he said.

P.E.I. MP Wayne Easter, one of the eight Liberals who voted for the bill last time, praised Ignatieff for showing leadership and finding "a great Canadian compromise." But insiders said one or two of the Liberal dissidents are not entirely satisfied.

Even should they all fall in line, the bill could still pass with the support of the dozen New Democrats who voted for it last time.

NDP Leader Jack Layton said his party is hoping to win amendments to Hoeppner's bill, some of which are similar to Ignatieff's proposed reforms. Should that fail, he refused to say if he'd whip his MPs to vote against the bill.

However, NDP justice critic Joe Comartin said his party has always allowed free votes on private member's bills and doubted the registry vote would be any different.

Ignatieff said Liberals are attempting to bridge the divide between rural and urban Canada, between legitimate concerns about the registry and the need to promote public safety. And in that sense, he said the issue is a matter of national unity for him.

The police association, along with the associations of police chiefs and police boards, support the registry. Police estimate the registry is checked by officers more than 11,000 times a day.

Ignatieff's announcement won thanks from Montreal cop Yves Francoeur, who was among the officers called to the Ecole Polytechnique in 1989 after gunman Marc Lepine massacred 14 female students.

"I saw images no Canadian would want to see," he said, adding that he's "very happy" Liberals will oppose Hoeppner's bill.

Francoeur later told reporters that Ignatieff's proposed changes to the registry are "common sense."

In the Commons, Hoeppner challenged dissident Liberal MPs to stay the course. She pooh-poohed Ignatieff's attempt at compromise.

"You either vote to end the long-gun registry or you vote to keep the long-gun registry. It's that simple," she said.

Hoeppner said the choice for Liberals is between bowing to Ignatieff's orders or listening to their constituents, who want the registry scrapped.

"Last November, eight Liberal MPs agreed with me on that. I hope they have not changed their minds. Their voters deserve better."