NEWS RELEASE

December 4, 2003                                                                                       For Immediate Release

JUSTICE DEPT. CALLS GUN REGISTRY COMPUTER SYSTEM AN “IT DISASTER”

“$Half a billion dollars for computer contracts.  The waste will never end until the gun registry is scrapped!”

Yorkton – “Many people across Canada often ask me: Why does the gun registry cost so much?  I tell them incompetence is the key factor and more evidence of this bureaucratic bungling is contained in the 406 pages of documents we released today,” said Garry Breitkreuz, Official Opposition Critic for Firearms and Property Rights.  “Three years after three consulting companies reported major problems with their computer system, the Justice Department is still calling it an Information Technology (IT) disaster.”

“On March 9, 2000, EDS Canada had 146 employees working in the gun registry,” reported Breitkreuz.  They fired EDS Canada after spending $227 million and signed another contract for $300 million with CGI Group and BDP to replace everything that EDS has already been paid for.  The question all taxpayers should be asking is: Why has this fiasco been allowed to continue for so long?  Every Minister involved in this mess should be banished to the backbenches by the Prime Minister and sent into early retirement by their constituents,” demanded Breitkreuz.

Documents obtained by Breitkreuz through one of his more than 400 Access to Information Act requests uncovered a Justice Department e-mail dated April 9, 2003 that stated: “CFC to assume responsibility for IT disaster recovery effective on ?? date.” 

Other Justice Department documents tell a sad tale that was eight years in the making, paid for by Canadian taxpayers while Liberal MPs remained silent.  Here’s a small sample:

PricewaterhouseCoopers – May 1999

Page 00112 – “Our assessment identified IT systems issues that are causing or contributing to processing and backlogs or inefficiencies and highlighted issues may preclude the optimal operation of the Canadian Firearms Program.”

PricewaterhouseCoopers – May 2000

Page 000276 – “The impact of the implementation of Release 3 is well documented.  The operation almost stopped in its tracks for a period of weeks while problem tickets were resolved, workarounds were developed and the unforeseen impact on performance was dealt with.  Release 4 is larger and more complex, with major changes in functionality.”

CGI Group – March 2000

Page 000177 – “The workstations are experiencing high processor, memory and disk access utilization.  This is judged to be the result of the application creating an excessive number of Powerbuilder objects.  Fundamentally, there is too much redundant data being transmitted across the network.”

Strategic Relationships Sourcing Inc. October 2000

Page 000355 – “System on 4^th rewrite – development & maintenance exceeds industry norms by at least 200%.”

“In spite of the fact that the Justice Ministers said they were responsible they continued to pour hundreds of millions into this sinkhole.  Not one of them accepted the accountability that goes along with their bungled responsibilities.  Taxpayers continue to pay for the Liberals’ mistakes but no one takes the blame.  Sadly, the waste continues with Paul Martin’s blessing.  Can the registry be fixed?  No!  Registration has never worked.  It must be scrapped,”  concluded Breitkreuz.

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