Canadian Government Waives $56 Million In Gun Registration Fees

Ottawa, Canada (AHN) - Canada's Conservative government is under fire from the Liberals for waiving $56 million registration fees from gun owners.

The Canadian Press reported that data from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police showed revenues from a gun registration program would have earned the federal government $35.9 million for three years, starting 2006. But during the same period, new policies introduced by Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day refunded or waived $56.5 mllion in license fees from firearms owners.

Ujjal Dosanjh from the Liberal Party said, quoted by the Canadian Press, "This government, if it ran the registry appropriately and did not waive the fees, in fact would be making a profit."

The RCMP said registration and licensing are different. John Brent, a spokesman for Day, told the Canadian Press, "Unlike the opposition parties, our government is committed to effective gun control and tackling the criminal misuse of firearms, not throwing money at a wasteful, ineffective gun registry."

The debate stemmed from a 1996 decision by the federal government, then run by the Liberals, to include hunting rifles and shotguns in the registration system. An initial budget of $2 million was set aside to fund the registration of long arms, which was supposed to be self-financing in the long run.

However escalating costs and management problems hiked the cost of the registration program to $1 billion on its first 10 years of operation. Following this finding by Auditor General Sheila Fraser, Day removed $10 million from the gun registration budget and transfered the Canada Firearms Center under the RCMP. Along with the transfer was the waiver of fees for gun owners who renewed their licenses and refunded those who already paid the fee. After one month, Day proposed the abolition of the long arm registration requirement.

But the bill is still pending, while the ministry extends the fee waivers and amnesties and the $10 million budget reduction every year.

Tony Cannavino, president of the Canadian Police Association, which is pushing for the long gun registration, said the annual extension of waivers and amnesties sends a mixed message to citizens. "If Canadians see the government going on and on and on with amnesties, well why should they register?" Cannavino, quoted by the Canadian Press, asked.