Gun Registry Getting Better, Says AG

A few tidbits from the From Sheila Fraser's audit re the Fire Arms Registry. If mentioned in the MSM, they will probably appear in small print, near the end of the story:

4.109 The Canada Firearms Centre has made satisfactory progress in implementing our 2002 recommendation on financial reporting, except in recording the costs of developing a new information system (CFIS II).

4.112 We note that the integrity of the contracting process has improved since the Centre was established as a separate agency. We found that earlier contracting practices did not comply with government policies and regulations that require competitive procurement.

4.114 In evaluating the Canada Firearms Centre's progress in responding to our 2002 recommendation, it is important to take several factors into account: The status of the CFIS project (late and over budget) is largely due to early decisions made in 2001 and 2002; the lack of compliance with good contracting practices goes back to 1997; and the current management team inherited an organizational structure that had not stabilized. These factors imposed real constraints on how much could be done in the period since our audit in 2002. The current management team has made notable progress on a number of issues, including the establishment of a new department.

I read these remarks as saying that the Gun Registry's darkest days are behind it, from a management/cost overrun perspective. It would therefore be a pity to see the AG's report used as an excuse to kill the registry, although this is what the Tory's will attempt to do.

Update 6:10 pm Just a quickie, more words from Ms. Fraser on the Registry as currently constituted:

Auditor General Sheila Fraser's report stated that while there were cost overruns in establishing the registry and the licensing system in the past years, the costs were now under control and the system is now well-managed."This is not about costs: currently the system is running for $80 million ayear, only $10 million of it is spent on registering rifles and shotguns."