PM tries to deflect blame for gun
fiasco
CAMPBELL CLARK
Thursday, December 5, 2002
OTTAWA -- Prime Minister Jean Chr�tien blamed the provinces and gun
lobbyists yesterday for massive cost overruns in the federal firearms
registry, suggesting their obstruction caused bills to balloon to almost
$1-billion.
But some Liberal MPs placed the blame squarely on the shoulders of
Industry Minister Allan Rock, who was justice minister when the program
was launched. They took the unprecedented step of calling for one of
their own ministers to resign.
With the opposition calling for the government to fire as many as three
ministers over the registry fiasco, Mr. Chr�tien said in Vancouver that
it was the provinces that opted out of the registry by refusing to
co-operate in running it and groups opposed to the registry that are to
blame for the bills.
"There were some mistakes, sure. We expected that the provinces were
going to help us, and in some places they did not; they made it very
difficult for us," Mr. Chr�tien said. "The gun lobbyists, the
people against it made sure it was difficult to operate, and it cost
more."
Mr. Chr�tien's assessment was far from that of Auditor-General Sheila
Fraser, who placed the blame on the Justice Department. In a report filed
on Tuesday, Ms. Fraser said the department underreported the costs of the
firearms-control program from the time of its initial estimates in 1994.
She said it did not keep Parliament and the public properly apprised of
spiralling costs associated with the registry.
Mr. Chr�tien's arguments were rejected by those provinces that opted
out.
"I don't see how we have made it difficult to implement. We have
simply said as a province we're not going to go out of our way to enforce
it," Alberta Premier Ralph Klein said.
The Auditor-General reported that the Justice Department hid the
escalating costs of the registry that is intended to include records of
all firearms in Canada.
The government estimated that the treasury would lose only $2-million
when the registry was launched in 1994, because the $119-million cost
would be offset by fees. Instead, costs mounted to $688-million by March,
and are expected to rise to $1-billion by 2004-05. The government
estimated that by that time it would have received $140-million in
fees.
Among unplanned costs is $61-million for advertising and outreach to
firearms owners -- including $16-million paid to ad agency Groupaction
from July of 2000 to February of 2002.
Groupaction is the firm at the centre of the government's
sponsorship-program scandal. It is under investigation by the RCMP.
Mr. Chr�tien's arguments did not placate a restless Liberal caucus that
was alarmed by the huge problems with the program, controversial from the
start, especially in rural areas.
MPs voiced their dismay at the meeting, where according to MPs, Deputy
Prime Minister John Manley acknowledged the problems, saying: "It's
a mess."
The government will vote tomorrow on whether it will obtain more
firearms-registry money when it asks Parliament to approve an additional
$72-million for this year, after $41-million was included in the initial
budget in February.
Two Ontario MPs, Beno�t Serr� and Alex Shepherd -- among the nine Liberal
backbenchers who voted against the gun-control bill in 1995 -- called for
Mr. Rock to resign.
Mr. Serr� of the Northern Ontario riding of Timiskaming-Cochrane said the
rural caucus warned Mr. Rock that his plan would be costly and
unworkable.
"Back in '95 when I voted against this bill, I raised these issues
with the minister, the caucus raised this issue with the minister and the
minister drove this file with tunnel vision. He would not listen to
caucus and did exactly what he wanted to do. And he was wrong," Mr.
Serr� said.
"I said at the time that it would cost $500-million, maybe
$1-billion, and that it would be ineffective, and that is exactly what
has happened. And a minister that did a fiasco like that should resign --
simple as that."
Mr. Rock did not comment but a spokesperson noted that many of the cost
overruns occurred after he left the Justice Department in 1997. The
spokesperson played down the MPs' attack as being motivated by internal
politicking, noting that the MPs are Paul Martin supporters.
MP Lynn Myers, a supporter of Mr. Rock, agreed.
"Things these days seem to be done through the eyes of
leadership," Mr. Myers said, adding that Mr. Rock deserves credit
for launching the registry, which he insisted has saved lives.
"Allan Rock should be celebrated for his courage."
The Canadian Alliance and Progressive Conservatives said that Mr. Rock's
successor, Anne McLellan, who was justice minister from 1997 until
January, and Justice Minister Martin Cauchon, should also resign.
"I'd like to see them all forced to resign," Canadian Alliance
Leader Stephen Harper said. "I think justice ministers who were
involved, and I think the finance minister who supervised all of this
spending should be accountable for this."
Mr. Cauchon, however, said the Auditor-General had merely underlined a
different approach to reporting costs to Parliament, and said no one will
lose their jobs over the massive cost overrun. "The system we live
in is a system where the minister is accountable."
Mr. Cauchon cited the provinces' opting out as one reason for
higher-than-expected costs, but acknowledged that the program is far more
complex than expected.
According to the Canadian Firearms Centre, however, the costs associated
with the opt-out provinces amounts to $28-million, compared with
$129-million for deals with the provinces that opted in.
_______________________
Scott MacLean
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
ICQ: 9184011
http://www.nerosoft.com
