More Firearms Registry Scandal

As I have shown the Firearms Registry, now being called the 'Long-gun Registry' a Conservative monicker to differentiate it from its earlier manifestation as the Canadian handgun and automatic weapons registry, was a Private Public Partnership boondoogle. Canada’s Billion Dollar P3 Boondoggle

Contracting out was the reason that costs at the registry sky rocketed. Contracting out computer operations including software creation and hardware purchases, and the use of contracted out call centre staff. Now it turns out that in the spirit of Liberal generosity and incompetence they also contracted out research. Well sort of.....

Groupaction went off half-cocked, court told

Was monitoring reaction to gun laws. Firm didn't understand 'firearms experience,' witness testifies at Guite corruption trial

SUE MONTGOMERY, The Gazette

Published: Wednesday, May 10, 2006

It was as if someone had gone downstairs to the local magazine shop, picked up all the firearms magazines, and photocopied the pages, especially the ones about the right to bear arms under the U.S. constitution.

That's how a witness testifying at the fraud trial of Charles Guite described how Groupaction Marketing Inc. monitored the Canadian pulse on the federal gun legislation, and got paid $150,000 in return.

"These people didn't have an appreciation of the Canadian firearms experience, not having the information we had and not having done the work we had," said Henry Vanwyk, communications director for the Canadian Firearms Centre, the organization formed to implement the 1995 Canadian Firearms Act.

The recent revelations of the ADSCAM scandal also involving the Canada Firearms Registry thus should come as no surprise. Considering that the Justice Department had no cost controls on anything else going on with regards to the registry. Which the Auditor General reported in the past and will further expand on next week.

At 2 p.m. next Tuesday, Fraser is scheduled to release her latest report to Parliament, another guaranteed compendium of squander and stupidity in high places, including the federal firearms program. While the AG does not have the authority to send the agency to its grave, her revelations will likely provide ample ammunition for the Conservatives to put the registry on life support. If a recent press teaser from Fraser's shop is any indication, her report will not be flattering.Among other things: "In carrying out our audit of the Canada Firearms Centre, we noted a matter with significant implications for Parliament's control of public spending." Stay tuned. Registry's not dead yet

Also See: Boondoggle

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