AUDITOR GENERAL BLOWS A BIG HOLE IN GOVERNMENT’S CREDIBILITY
“The
Department of Justice told Parliament that the program would cost taxpayers
about $2 million. The Department now says that by 2004-05 the costs of this
program could amount to more than $1 billion,”
said the Auditor General
Ottawa
– Today
was the first day of harvest for Garry Breitkreuz’s nine-year fight against
the Liberal’s problem-plagued gun registry.
“The
Auditor General has done another huge service for Canadian taxpayers today and
in the process she blew a big hole in the government’s credibility,” said
Breitkreuz, the Official Opposition Critic for Firearms and Property Rights.
“The Auditor General confirmed what we have been reporting for years:
that the gun registry is going to cost more than a billion dollars.
She even told us that the Liberals have also known this fact for two
years and knowingly withheld this information from Parliament.
I hope citizens hold the Liberals accountable for their cover-up.”
Here’s
how the government responded to the ammunition provided by the Auditor General
today:
Mr.
Garry Breitkreuz (Yorkton—Melville, Canadian Alliance):
Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General reported today that the justice department
knew more than two years ago that it would spend more than $1 billion on the gun
registry and it failed to report the true costs as required by its own
regulations to Parliament. How much is the government willing to pour down the
drain before it admits this is a failure? $1 billion more, $2 billion more, $3
billion more. What will it be?
Hon.
Martin Cauchon (Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, Lib.):
Mr. Speaker, as I said, we totally accept the Auditor General's
recommendations. Now the question
is that of course it is a sound policy. Could we do more, could we do better?
Yes, we can do better. We are firmly committed to do so as well. With regard to
the process of course there was a question of accountability and the question as
well of the interpretation of the Charter given to the justice department. We
intend to make sure that in the future in the main estimates that we provide
Canadians with all the total numbers including those of other departments.
Mr.
Garry Breitkreuz (Yorkton—Melville, Canadian Alliance):
Mr. Speaker, he has not been accountable to Parliament yet. Why should we
believe him now? The Auditor
General said the issue is not gun control and not even the astronomical cost
overruns. What is really inexcusable is that Parliament was kept in the dark.
Can the justice minister give Parliament one reason why we should believe a
single word that comes out of his mouth now when we know that he has been
spouting complete and utter nonsense? That includes the industry minister, the
health minister, the former finance minister, the Deputy Prime Minister and the
Prime Minister himself. They have all misled Parliament. Why the cover-up?
Hon.
Martin Cauchon (Minister of Justice, Lib.):
Mr. Speaker, what has been mentioned is simply not true. All the numbers
regarding the gun control registry, the gun control system, have been reported
through Justice Canada and have been reported as well through other ministries
that are involved in the program delivery. There was some discussion regarding
the way we should report, the justice department being the single point of
accountability. It is more than a coordinating body. Therefore for the future we
will make sure that the report will be in the estimate, not only for Justice
Canada but for all the other stakeholders involved in taking good--
“We
predicted from the start that the gun registry was a billion dollar boondoggle.
The Auditor General’s next audit should focus on effectiveness.
Then maybe the voting public will realize where billions of their tax
dollars should have been spent to really improve public safety and save
lives,” concluded Breitkreuz.
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