NOTE:
Versions of this story also appeared in: The Ottawa Citizen, The Calgary Herald,
The Vancouver Province
PUBLICATION:
National Post
DATE:
2003.10.14
EDITION: National
SECTION:
Canada
PAGE:
A8
BYLINE:
Tim Naumetz
SOURCE:
CanWest News Service
DATELINE:
OTTAWA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gun
control centre spending slashed: Declined by $58M after Fraser's report
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OTTAWA
- The Canada Firearms Centre sharply cut travel, contract services, advertising
and other costs to hold its spending at $78-million for the last fiscal year
compared with $136-million the previous year.
The belt-tightening followed a huge public outcry after Sheila Fraser,
the Auditor-General, issued a scathing report last December revealing the gun
registry and licensing system was expected to cost a total of $1-billion by
2005.
Despite
the fiscal prudence, however, Canadian Alliance MP Garry Breitkreuz predicts the
firearms centre is poised to go on another spending spree following its decision
to carry forward $10-million worth of the savings for new spending in the
current fiscal year.
Shortly
after the Auditor-General's report, Martin Cauchon, the Justice Minister, then
in charge of the program, froze discretionary spending and ordered the firearms
centre to carry on with only essential services until the government could work
out a plan in response to Ms. Fraser's findings.
Mr.
Breitkreuz said the government might be attempting to hide some of the spending
in other departments.
"The
whole thing defies explanation. Last year should have been their busiest year;
it should have been the year they spent the most money."
"For
them to say they only spent that much, I think they're hiding something."
David
Austin, a spokesman for the firearms centre, said the expenditure report
reflects the effect of Mr. Cauchon's order to limit spending and cut costs.
"The
administrative restraints were put on in December," Mr. Austin said.
"Travel [for example] didn't happen."
As
of last December, the government was expecting to spend $113-million on the gun
program for the 2002-03 fiscal year, which means the savings in response to Ms.
Fraser's report were dramatic. For the current fiscal year, the government is
again forecasting expenditures of $113-million, including the $10-million it has
carried forward from estimates that were approved by Parliament for last year.
Once
$15-million in savings are counted against expenditures, the net cost of the
program was nearly $63-million for the 2002-03 fiscal year. Total net cost from
1995 to the end of the 2002-03 fiscal year was $692-million, averaging less than
$100-million annually over the seven-year period.
Savings
last year were most dramatic in contract services, which dropped to a total of
$15-million from $30-million the previous year. Despite the need to keep gun
owners aware of the Jan.1 deadline for registration, the firearms centre spent
only $211,000 on advertising compared to $6-million the previous year.
The
centre cut spending on travel in half, from $2-million to $1-million, while the
cost of salaries plunged to $16-million from $25-million.
Mr.
Breitkreuz argues the $10- million the government has carried forward for this
year, money not spent from estimates approved for last year, actually is new
spending for the program.
------------------------------------------
GUN
REGISTRY EXPENDITURES FOR 2002-2003?
TOTAL
SPENDING APPROVED BY PARLIAMENT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2002-2003
$35.8
MILLION (from Main Estimates) + $59 MILLION (Supp. B Estimates) = $94.8 MILLION
JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT RESPONSE TO BREITKREUZ ATI REQUEST DATED: October 1, 2003
CANADIAN
FIREARMS PROGRAM - TOTAL GROSS EXPENDITURES 2002-2003 = $78,258,623
TOTAL
GROSS EXPENDITURES 1995-96 to 2002-03 = $766,526,433
Note
#1: Still
doesn't include Firearms Program Expenditures incurred by other Departments and
Agencies as recommended by the Auditor General
http://www.cssa-cila.org/garryb/publications/Article154.htm
Note
#2:
Does not include "Major Additional Costs" as recommended by the
Auditor General; namely, Enforcement Costs and Compliance Costs.
ENFORCING
THE FIREARMS ACT COULD EASILY COST ANOTHER BILLION DOLLARS!
http://www.cssa-cila.org/garryb/breitkreuzgpress/guns81.htm
COMPLIANCE
COSTS PUT GUN REGISTRY PRICE TAG UP AT LEAST ANOTHER QUARTER BILLION
http://www.cssa-cila.org/garryb/breitkreuzgpress/guns88.htm
(1)
Original 2002-2003 Estimates = $113.5 Million
http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/est-pre/20022003/jus-jus/jus0203rpp02_e.asp
(2)
BUT: Treasury Board stated: ONLY $35.8 million were actually voted for in
the Main Estimates vote in June of 2002. (Saskatoon Star Phonenix article -
February 20, 2003 )
(3)
Then the government asked for $72 million in the Supplementary A
Estimates (2002-2003) October 31, 2002 that the government claimed was part of
the original $113.5 million figure from the Main Estimates.
(4)
Then
the government withdrew the $72 million from the Supplementary A
Estimates on December, 5, 2003
(5)
Then the Justice Minister Cauchon said he was operating on a "cash
management" basis.
http://www.cssa-cila.org/garryb/questions/dec-12-2002b.htm
(6)
Then the government asked for (and got approval for) $59 million more in
the Supplementary B Estimates at the end of March 2003. Note: The Liberals on the Justice Committee voted against
calling the Justice Minister to explain all of the above and his plans for
future spending on the program.
http://www.cssa-cila.org/garryb/breitkreuzgpress/guns80.htm