NOTE:
Versions of this story also ran in the National Post, the Saskatoon Star
Phoenix, the Edmonton Journal and the Calgary Herald
PUBLICATION: The
Ottawa Citizen
DATE: 2002.01.26
EDITION: Final
SECTION: News
BYLINE: Tim
Naumetz
SOURCE: The
Ottawa Citizen
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Private sector to run troubled gun registry: Storage of
sensitive personal information will be handed over to private contractor
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The
federal government is handing over the administration and operation of its
costly gun licensing and registration system to the private sector.
A
spokeswoman for the Public Works Department confirmed yesterday that officials
are now evaluating bids for a 15-year contract to take over processing
applications for firearms licensing and registration, telephone call centres and
the information technology systems involved in the program.
"I don't know if they are negotiating with anyone; I know they are
evaluating the proposals," said Fran Gershberg, a Public Works
communications officer.
The
Canadian Firearms Centre, in conjunction with police forces and firearms
officers, will retain control over the sensitive core functions of
investigating, approving, denying or revoking firearms licences and
registrations, according to a copy of the detailed 300-page request for contract
proposals. All other work, including the processing of sensitive
personal information contained in gun licence and registration applications and
storing it, will be done by the successful bidder.
The
government circulated the request for proposals last September through November
with no public announcement of its plans. Bidding for the contract is open to
companies from any country that is member of the World Trade Organization, as
well as U.S. or Mexican companies under the North American Free Trade Agreement,
Ms. Gershberg said.
Canadian
Alliance MP Garry Breitkreuz obtained a copy of the request for proposals, and
other documents concerning the plan, through the Access to Information Act.
An assistant to Mr. Breitkreuz, Dennis Young, said the decision to
contract out the firearms program to the private sector demonstrates what a
costly failure it has been for the federal government.
Mr.
Young, who said handing the system over to a private firm poses significant
risks to the privacy rights of two million gun owners who have applied for or
received licences, added that sources within the firearms program have privately
said the contract value is at least $300 million.
Ms.
Gershberg said she did not know the possible value of the contract, and she
could not disclose other details, such as the names of the bidders or even the
number of bidders. David Austin, chief spokesman for the Canadian Firearms
Centre within the Department of Justice, did not return telephone calls
yesterday.
Treasury
Board officials told a Senate committee last November the program cost $541
million from 1995 to last year. With
a further $148 million expected to be spent by the end of March this year, the
total is $689 million over the first seven years of the program.
During the same time period, the government collected $44 million in
licence fees, the officials told the committee.
Former
justice minister Anne McLellan confirmed last year that the government had
contracted out part of the program's processing work to a private firm, BDP
Business Data Services Ltd. of Toronto. She
described described it only as "outsourcing" some services for
efficiency and savings. Successive
contracts with BDP have so far cost the government $8.5 million, according to
documents Mr. Breitkreuz obtained.
Wording
in the request for proposals for a contract to administer the program suggests
the government is sensitive to the criticism it may face over the privacy issue.
"The security and privacy of Canadian Firearms Program related data
is of the utmost importance," the document says.
"The existing system and network provides a high degree of security
for the police and citizen data it contains. The (contracted) service providers
new technology solution must provide the same or better level of security."
The
successful bidder will not be permitted access to the Canadian Police
Information Centre, vital to the integrity of the gun licensing and registration
system, or any other sensitive government database, the document says.
BDP
Business Data Services Limited
Data
and Image Capture Services Contract
By Garry Breitkreuz, MP Updated: January 23, 2002
Customer: Department of Justice Canada Canadian Firearms Centre
1.
19162-990181/001/XG
$4,800,555
Jul 18, 2000
2.
19162-990181/001/XG
$ 48,805
Oct 12, 2000
3.
19162-990181/001/XG
$ 963,282
Oct 12, 2000
4.
19162-990181/001/XG
$ 48,791
Dec 18, 2000
5.
19162-990181/001/XG
$ 464,994
Jan 02, 2001
6.
19162-990181/001/XG
$1,014,119
Feb 16, 2001
7.
19162-990181/001/XG
$ 111,260
Feb 21, 2001
8.
19162-990181/001/XG
$ 7,223
Mar 23, 2001
9.
19162-990181/001/XG
$ 336,665
Apr 27, 2001
10. 19162-990181/001/XG
$
216,669
Jun 22, 2001
11. 19162-990181/001/XG
$
421,715
Jul 06, 2001
12. 19162-990181/001/XG
$
321,088
Jul 18, 2001
13. 19162-990181/001/XG
$
349,967
Aug 22, 2001
14. 19162-990181/001/XG
$8,560,000
Nov 20, 2001
NOTE: 1 to 14 for a total value of $17,665,133
Source: Contracts Canada documents from Library of
Parliament January 22, 2002
Source: Access to Information Act Request received from Public Works and
Government Services Canada ATI File: A-2001-00303/cl
Establish, support and operate
application processing, data image capture services in support of the CFC as may
be required between August 1, 2000 and March 31, 2001.
These services are required to complement the systems development
capability of the CFC located in the National Capital Region and to augment the
processing capacity of existing regional processing centres located in Miramichi,
New Brunswick and Montreal, Quebec.
The services required under this
tender will support the processing of applications for firearms Possession Only
Licences and for Possession and Acquisition Licences that must be submitted by
Canadians as required under the Firearms Act.
To effectively accommodate the volume
of applications expected in the months leading up to the deadline, the CFC is
seeking to augment its current application processing and data capture capacity
by entering into a contract with a provider of data and image capture services.
In addition, the contracted provider is required to use data capture
application software currently completing development and testing.
This software and the computer technology required to operate it will be
provided, installed and maintained by the CFC for the duration of the contract
period.
Application processing and data
capture services are anticipated to encompass:
The CFC will provide: