Good afternoon, Minister. It's a pleasure for us to have you here again.
My question mainly concerns the Global Case Management System. That system is supposed to replace a number of the department's administrative systems in order to facilitate communications and data sharing between the department and the Canada Border Services Agency.
According to the Auditor General's 2003 Status Report, system implementation was way behind schedule. In an article published on April 22 last, the Toronto Star reported that the program wouldn't at all do what was originally expected of it and that it was way behind schedule. It also stated that immigration and border service officials were tempted to lose confidence in the proposed system. Furthermore, the costs had apparently increased by 25 per cent to $243 million. We're a bit concerned. We don't want to relive the sad and infamous fiasco of the firearms registry.
The committee has often asked officials to conduct a periodic follow-up of progress on the project and changes in costs. However, according to my colleague, that hasn't been done.
I have a few questions that might follow from my comment. Can the Minister tell us where the Global Case Management System stands right now? How much has the system's introduction cost to date? When will the system be operational? How much money will have to be added before it is fully operational? Once the system is operational, what will be the annual cost to manage the system?
Some questions may require checks, but, if necessary, you could provide additional information and forward it to the committee, with regard to figures, for example.