cuchulainn
April 1, 2003, 08:23 AM
Ah, what an appropriate story for April Fools day.
from the London Free Press
http://www.canoe.ca/LondonNews/lf.lf-04-01-0069.html
Monday, April 1, 2003
Liberals delay gun registry transferral
By JIM BROWN, CP
OTTAWA -- The Liberal government, citing bureaucratic and political glitches, has put off transferring responsibility for the federal gun registry from Justice Minister Martin Cauchon to Solicitor General Wayne Easter.
The shift, part of a wider plan to defuse criticism of the financially troubled registry, had been scheduled to take effect today, the first day of the government's 2003-04 fiscal year. But Easter confirmed yesterday it wouldn't be possible to meet that self-imposed target.
"It's still in flux," he said outside the Commons. "It's basically completing some of the detail, in terms of transferring from one department to another."
Easter didn't cite a new date but Bill Baker, chief executive officer of the Canadian Firearms Centre, said he is optimistic it will be soon.
The exact timing will likely depend on passage of legislation currently before the Commons that creates a new post of firearms commissioner, likely to be filled by Baker, to oversee gun control.
The legislation -- Bill C-10A -- also establishes new procedures to help streamline the program.
One key provision would stagger gun registration renewals rather than have them all expire at the same time and thus create a bureaucratic bottleneck. The government hopes to push the bill through Parliament as early as next week.
"There are no certainties in this business but we shouldn't be looking at a long delay," Baker said.
Auditor General Sheila Fraser slammed the gun registry in a report in December, estimating the cost of the program would likely balloon to $1 billion by the end of its first decade of operation in 2005.
Copyright © 2003, The London Free Press.
from the London Free Press
http://www.canoe.ca/LondonNews/lf.lf-04-01-0069.html
Monday, April 1, 2003
Liberals delay gun registry transferral
By JIM BROWN, CP
OTTAWA -- The Liberal government, citing bureaucratic and political glitches, has put off transferring responsibility for the federal gun registry from Justice Minister Martin Cauchon to Solicitor General Wayne Easter.
The shift, part of a wider plan to defuse criticism of the financially troubled registry, had been scheduled to take effect today, the first day of the government's 2003-04 fiscal year. But Easter confirmed yesterday it wouldn't be possible to meet that self-imposed target.
"It's still in flux," he said outside the Commons. "It's basically completing some of the detail, in terms of transferring from one department to another."
Easter didn't cite a new date but Bill Baker, chief executive officer of the Canadian Firearms Centre, said he is optimistic it will be soon.
The exact timing will likely depend on passage of legislation currently before the Commons that creates a new post of firearms commissioner, likely to be filled by Baker, to oversee gun control.
The legislation -- Bill C-10A -- also establishes new procedures to help streamline the program.
One key provision would stagger gun registration renewals rather than have them all expire at the same time and thus create a bureaucratic bottleneck. The government hopes to push the bill through Parliament as early as next week.
"There are no certainties in this business but we shouldn't be looking at a long delay," Baker said.
Auditor General Sheila Fraser slammed the gun registry in a report in December, estimating the cost of the program would likely balloon to $1 billion by the end of its first decade of operation in 2005.
Copyright © 2003, The London Free Press.