Comments: Breitkreuz (MP) and S Day (Minister of Public Safety) on Canadian gun registry
House of Commons Debates
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
ORAL QUESTION PERIOD

Unedited copy - not official until printed in Hansard

Mr. Garry Breitkreuz (Yorkton-Melville, CPC): Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General has reported what we have suspected for years.  The cost of the gun registry continues to spiral out of control.  The Auditor General's 2002 report criticized Liberal spending.  The former Prime Minister said then, and I would like to quote: "We have to make sure it does not happen again.  It is simply inexcusable."  Yet he and his Liberal government continued to fail to keep costs under control.  Could the Minister of Public Safety tell us how the Liberals managed to fail so completely and misspend millions of taxpayers' dollars?

Hon. Stockwell Day (Minister of Public Safety, CPC): Mr. Speaker, taking some of the excerpts from Sheila Fraser's report, it reminded me of the many comments made by the member for Yorkton -- Melville over the years.  He warned about this.  Did they listen?  She talked about them going to great lengths to hide the true cost.  Did they listen?  No.  She talked about cost overruns that were incredible.  Did they listen?  No.  She talked about the fact that there were no written records of key meetings.  Did they listen?  No.  She talked about the fact that they used lawyers to deny her key information.  Did they listen?  No.  She talked about the fact that there is lack of performance standards, and that lack of performance standards put our officers at risk.  Did they listen?  No.  Are we going to fix the problem?  Yes.