NOTE: Versions of this story also appeared in the Ottawa Citizen, Kingston Whig-Standard, Saskatoon Star Phoenix, Windsor Star, Vancouver Sun, Victoria Times Colonist.

PUBLICATION:              National Post

DATE:                         2004.11.01

EDITION:                    National

SECTION:                  Canada

PAGE:                         A5

BYLINE:                     Tim Naumetz

SOURCE:                   CanWest News Service

DATELINE:                 OTTAWA

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Guns centre to shell out on PR, not safety

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OTTAWA - The Canada Firearms Centre will spend no money on gun safety education next year but plans to dish out nearly $3-million for public relations and a communications strategy, the centre has confirmed.

The centre plans to spend $876,000 on salaries in the communications and client services branch and a further $1.9-million in the branch on such areas as travel, conferences, hospitality, and professional services, documents obtained by Saskatchewan Conservative MP Garry Breitkreuz show.

However, despite statements from Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan as late as this past week that the main goal of the program is public safety, the documents show "$0" alloted to safety education.

A spokesman for the firearms centre confirmed both legislative training and public gun safety programs have been discontinued, with the centre now leaving firearms safety exclusively to gun safety courses that are required for gun owners to obtain licences.

"The safety education responsibilities are now under the licensing directorate, so we're not doing anything in that area directly as such for advertising," said Thomas Vares.

Shortly before the June federal election campaign, Ms. McLellan and Treasury Board president Reg Alcock announced a series of cost-saving measures for the centre, including a $25-million annual cap on the registry portion of the program.

Mr. Vares added the centre has transferred safety education responsibilities to the centre's licensing directorate, which has only one person assigned to safety provisions. That person only acts as a liaison between the firearms centre and groups that provide the gun-safety courses, Mr. Vares explained.

Mr. Breitkreuz said this week the latest spending estimates for the firearms centre, contained in its annual performance report to Parliament, show the government expects to spend a total of $119.7-million on the gun program over the next year, including money spent by other branches and departments.