GUN REGISTRY PROMISES:  WHY SHOULD ANYONE BELIEVE THE LIBERALS NOW?

By Garry Breitkreuz, MP – December 7, 2004

Who can believe a word Liberals say when they talk about the gun registry?  First, they promised Parliament that they would implement the gun registry for $85 million over five years and that the net cost would be only $2.2 million.  And remember when Justice Minister Anne McLellan wrote to the Toronto Star on July 19, 2001, saying that "user fees will cover the entire cost of the program”?  We all know what a best-selling piece of fiction that was.

So who does Prime Minister Martin put back in charge of the firearms fiasco?  Anne McLellan of course, the Minister responsible for making most of the mistakes and for wasting most of a billion tax dollars. 

On November 24th, Public Safety Minister Anne McLellan testified before the Standing Committee on Justice that the Firearms Centre’s budget for next year would only be $85 million.  Oh my, I wonder where they come up with that number?  Taxpayers will want to know: Why is today’s forecast any more believable than their 1995 forecast or their 2001 forecast?

The Liberals’ most recent guesstimate has pegged the total cost of the firearms program at $1,055,400,000 as of March 31, 2005.  But the Liberals have failed to comply with all of the recommendations in the Auditor General’s December 2002 exposé on the program.  She told the government to provide Parliament with estimates of the cost of enforcement and the cost of compliance as required by Treasury Board Regulatory Policy.  According to reports prepared by the Library of Parliament Research Branch, enforcement and compliance estimates add hundreds of millions to the costs of the program.  Add to this the fact that the government’s own reports on the economic cost and the cost-benefit analysis have both been declared Cabinet secrets.  Liberals are still keeping Parliament and the public in the dark.

We have to ask ourselves: did we get any value for our money?  We don’t think so.  Two million completely innocent, federally-licenced gun owners have to report their change of address within 30 days or they could go to jail for up to two years.  Guess who doesn’t have to report their change in address to police?  One hundred and seventy-six thousand convicted criminals that have been prohibited from owning firearms by the courts.  Last week, Commissioner of Firearms, Bill Baker, admitted under our questioning that these proven-to-be-dangerous persons are “no longer effectively covered by the Firearms Act.”  As I asked the Minister, “Where’s the logic in that?” 

Last Wednesday, in response to our questions, Minister McLellan said the firearms program is “up and running” leaving anyone listening to believe that the program is fully operational.  But just this past Monday, the government provided the House of Commons with its latest promise that the firearms program won’t be fully implemented until December 31, 2007.  That’s more than 12 years since the Liberals rammed Bill C-68, the Firearms Act, through Parliament.  Do you believe them?  We don’t!