June 13, 2001

Mrs. Sheila Fraser

Auditor General of Canada

240 Sparks Street

Ottawa, Ontario

K1A 0G6

Dear Mrs. Fraser:

  RE:  WHAT DID THE GUN REGISTRY COST IN 2000/2001?

  Thank you for your letter dated June 1, 2001.  Doesn’t it alarm you that your own officials can’t figure out how much the Department of Justice spent on the Firearms Program in 2000/2001?

  The truth became even murkier when I received the attached document from Treasury Board showing the Department of Justice spent an additional $60,302,919 as recorded in Supplementary Estimates “B”.  If you total amounts made public in the four government documents, it amounts to $357,336,429 spent on the firearms program in one fiscal year (See summary attached).

Parliamentarians really need your expertise to sort out the confusion.  We desperately need the answer to just two questions:

  (1) What did the Justice Department originally budget for the Firearms Program in 2000/2001?

(2) What did the Department of Justice spend on the Firearms Control Program in 2000/2001?

Sincerely,

Garry Breitkreuz, MP

Yorkton-Melville

WHAT DID THE GUN REGISTRY COST IN 2000/2001?

By Garry Breitkreuz, MP – June 5, 2001

 (1) STATEMENT ON GOVERNOR GENERAL SPECIAL WARRANTS - For the Fiscal Year Ending, March 31, 2001 - Firearms Control Program = $96,148,000 [Page 72] 

 Note: Released by the Government on February 2, 2001

(2) SUPPLEMENTARY ESTIMATES (A), 2000-2001 - For the Fiscal Year Ending, March 31, 2001- Firearms Control Program TOTAL: = $49,831,000 [Page 114]

Note: Released by the Government on March 1, 2001

(3) DEPT. OF JUSTICE RESPONSE TO ATI REQUEST A01-0001 / ok – CANADIAN FIREARMS PROGRAM 2000/01 TOTAL Including EBP = $151,054,510 (Actuals As at April 11/01, P.12) 

Note: Access to Information response dated May 9, 2001

(4) TREASURY BOARD RESPONSE TO ATI REQUEST 2000-0304-A-LM – Department of Justice Summary – SUPPLEMENTARY ESTIMATES “B” – Firearms – Including Transfer from NPB = $60,302,919

Note: Access to Information response dated May 25, 2001.

GRAND TOTAL SPENDING NOTED IN ABOVE DOCUMENTS

  (1) Governor General Special Warrants           =            $  96,148,000

(2) Supplementary Estimates “A”                     =            $  49,831,000

(3) Dept. of Justice ATI Response                    =            $151,054,510

(4) Supplementary Estimates “B”                     =            $  60,302,919

                                                                                      ______________

GRAND TOTAL                                                =            $357,336,429