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Edited
Hansard • Number 137
Thursday, October 9, 2003
[Hansard – Pages 8420-8422]
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A motion to adjourn the House under Standing Order 38 deemed to have been moved.
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[English]
Firearms Registry
Mr. Garry Breitkreuz (Yorkton—Melville, Canadian Alliance): Madam Speaker, on May 8, 2003, I asked the Prime Minister if he regretted saying that some of the bureaucrats in charge of the billion dollar sinkhole known as the gun registry had been demoted and fired when it is now known that the statement is not true.
In fact, no one was fired and no one was demoted. In fact, some of the bureaucrats in charge of this mess were promoted and many of them got bonuses.
The Prime Minister did not answer the question and neither did the fourth minister in charge of this mess. His predecessors said repeatedly that they were fully accountable and responsible for the gun registry screws-ups, but to date no one has been held the least bit accountable and responsible.
What good are words if they are not followed up by actions? Why has no one paid for this billion dollar mistake? When will someone, anyone, be held fully accountable and responsible for this billion dollar mistake?
It has been 10 months since the Auditor General blew the whistle on the biggest error in accounting estimates ever made in the history of this country, and Parliament is still being kept in the dark. In the last 10 months, the government has repeatedly failed to answer our questions: How much will it cost to fully implement the gun registry and how much will it cost to maintain?
In my supplementary question, I asked the Solicitor General why his billion dollar gun registry fails to track the addresses of 131,000 convicted criminals who have been prohibited from owning firearms. These 131,000 most dangerous individuals get to roam Canada free while two million licensed gun owners have to report their change of address within 30 days or they could go to jail for up to two years. Where is the logic in that?
Last weekend the Toronto Star reported how absurd the Liberal logic is. The Star reported that Daniel Greig, who was on parole and prohibited from owning guns, illegally acquired the following weapons: a six shot .44 calibre Smith & Wesson; a .45 calibre Glock semi-automatic; a .45 calibre Heckler and Koch semi-automatic; a 12 gauge Franchi pump action shotgun with a pistol grip; an M-16, a .223 calibre Colt semi-automatic assault rifle; and several rounds of ammunition. The Star reported, “Why the police are sad: Greig was able to buy all these guns...with no trouble at all”.
Why would the Solicitor General insist on keeping a billion dollar gun registry whose only purpose is to monitor the activities of millions of law-abiding citizens and not monitor at all the activities and whereabouts of 131,000 dangerous criminals like Daniel Greig? Why does the Privacy Act protect the privacy rights of 131,000 convicted criminals but not the privacy rights of millions of law-abiding gun owners?
Last May 8, the Solicitor General failed to answer this question about the highly questionable target for the failed Firearms Act. Instead, he chose to obscure this fact with more bogus numbers. He told the House that the gun registry had assisted in 325 actual police investigations. However, an Access to Information Act request revealed that the minister's department was unable to produce the documents to back up his claim.
My questions: Why do MPs have to file Access to Information Act requests, why is most of the information blacked out when we get it, and why is Parliament still being kept in the dark?
Mrs. Marlene Jennings (Parliamentary Secretary to the Solicitor General of Canada, Lib.): Madam Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for Yorkton—Melville for the opportunity to rise in this House and to speak about some of the important changes that are taking place to streamline the firearms program and make it more efficient.
As the hon. member is aware, over the past several months the government announced several key initiatives to improve the program and provide better services to Canadians across the country. On February 21 the Minister of Justice, joined by the Solicitor General, tabled an action plan to deliver a firearms control program that provides significant public safety benefits while setting the program on a path to lower costs.
[Translation]
The action plan responds to the Auditor General's recommendations contained in her report of last December.
[English]
In fact, the government has already begun to implement these actions which are based on the recommendations of the Auditor General.
On April 14 the Canada Firearms Centre was transferred from the Department of Justice to the Department of the Solicitor General. I think everyone, the key players and partners, agrees that this is a natural fit for the Solicitor General portfolio, as enhancing public safety is one of its main focuses.
The action plan states the government's intention to consolidate the headquarters function for the firearms program in Ottawa. This has already occurred.
In addition, on May 30, a firearms commissioner was appointed. Reporting to the Solicitor General, the commissioner has full authority and accountability for all federally administered elements of the Canadian firearms program.
[Translation]
Moreover, according to the action plan, the position of financial controller has been filled. This individual is responsible for risk analysis and for data and report integrity. And he must ensure that resources are used in accordance with the program's financial plan. The controller must also report the results.
[English]
On May 14 Bill C-10A received royal assent. The amendments to the Criminal Code and the Firearms Act are administrative in nature and their goal is to streamline the Canada firearms program. Several of these amendments require regulations or amendments to existing regulations before they can take effect.
Accordingly, on June 13, 15 proposed regulations were tabled in Parliament by the Solicitor General. All but one of those amend existing regulations. The tabling of those proposed regulations is another important step in the continuous improvement of the firearms program.
[Translation]
There is also, first, public consultation through the official gazette on regulations and, second, consultation with Parliament. Canadians are invited to share their ideas and their comments on the Canadian firearms program and on the proposed regulations on the Web site of the Canada Firearms Center.
[English]
The simple facts that I have given, and that is not the whole story obviously, show that the government has put into practice or is putting into practice the recommendations of the Auditor General. The government is consulting Canadians and its goal is to ensure that this program is efficient and practical.
Mr. Garry Breitkreuz: Madam Speaker, in the reply just given to my question the member has emphasized that the Auditor General's recommendations are being taken into account. That is not true at all.
The Auditor General said that the full costs of the program had been hidden from Parliament. My question specifically asked, what are the total costs and what will it cost to maintain this program?
That answer was not forthcoming and that was the key thing that the Auditor General said should be revealed to Parliament. What are the total costs? We have been waiting for almost 10 months and that has not happened yet.
The second part of my question was not even addressed. Why is the criminal not targeted rather than the law-abiding citizen? It is absolutely clear that this is simply a bureaucratic paper-pushing exercise that is not gun control. It is government out of control. It is government spending a billion dollars, probably much more than that, on something that will not improve public safety.
Mrs. Marlene Jennings: Madam Speaker, the Canadian Alliance, true to its colours, wildly exaggerates.
Canadians support the firearms program and gun control. The government is committed to ensuring that we have proper gun control and to make it more efficient. The government is also committed to implementing all the recommendations of the Auditor General.
The member talks about how not all the costs have been revealed. He knows very well that in committee today that same question that he is asking now was asked of the Solicitor General by one of his colleagues. It was made very clear by the director general of the Canada Firearms Centre that some of those costs will be revealed by the Department of Justice when it tables its report.
Some of the costs can only be
revealed and determined accurately when the Canada Firearms Centre, which became
an agency this year, is able to--
The Acting Speaker (Ms. Bakopanos): Order, please. The motion to adjourn the House is now deemed to have been adopted. Accordingly, the House stands adjourned until tomorrow at 10 a.m., pursuant to Standing Order 24(1).
(The House adjourned at 6:22 p.m.)