Evidence of meeting #44 for Public Safety and National Security in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was million.
A recording is available from Parliament.
12:50 p.m.
NDP
Joe Comartin NDP Windsor—Tecumseh, ON
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Commissioner Busson, going back to the gun registry, you're officially designated as the commissioner for the gun registry. When it was transferred over, was it the commissioner who was named as the head?
12:50 p.m.
Commr Beverley A. Busson
Yes.
12:50 p.m.
NDP
Joe Comartin NDP Windsor—Tecumseh, ON
Do you actually carry that role out, or do you delegate it to someone else?
12:50 p.m.
Commr Beverley A. Busson
It is generally delegated to the head of our National Police Services, NPS, to deal with on a day-to-day basis.
12:50 p.m.
NDP
Joe Comartin NDP Windsor—Tecumseh, ON
Are you able to answer as to what you've done specifically to try to clean up the database?
12:50 p.m.
Commr Beverley A. Busson
I don't know how specific you would like it to be. We have been dealing with a company to bring a new product on-line.
12:50 p.m.
Commr Beverley A. Busson
Well, yes.
What has happened is that has fallen through. Their ability to bring us what we needed was not satisfactory, so we have decided to support the database that is presently in place with internal technical support. We believe we have a fix for that database that will not only bring efficiencies but also save us from going to a scary place with regard to software engineering.
12:50 p.m.
NDP
Joe Comartin NDP Windsor—Tecumseh, ON
Is there an internal report as to what you're doing to clean up the database?
12:50 p.m.
Commr Beverley A. Busson
Yes, there is.
12:50 p.m.
Commr Beverley A. Busson
I believe I can. I'd be happy to, if I can.
12:50 p.m.
NDP
12:50 p.m.
Commr Beverley A. Busson
If I can, I will.
12:50 p.m.
NDP
Joe Comartin NDP Windsor—Tecumseh, ON
I want to switch to the DNA database.
Again, the Auditor General was less than complimentary. Are you maintaining the same position as your predecessor, that in spite of a 114-day average processing time, we don't have a backlog?
12:50 p.m.
Commr Beverley A. Busson
No.
12:50 p.m.
Commr Beverley A. Busson
I use a different interpretation of that word, and we do have a backlog.
12:50 p.m.
NDP
12:50 p.m.
Commr Beverley A. Busson
We have made an internal investment and redeployed a number of resources to enable us to begin to hire more scientists, so that we can go on shift work to increase our ability to deal with the increased demand for data analysis. We are also building a new matrix, so that we can be satisfied to a larger degree that the issues around which analysis gets done first has a more scientific application.
12:50 p.m.
NDP
12:50 p.m.
Commr Beverley A. Busson
There isn't. We are building that business case as we speak.
12:50 p.m.
NDP
Joe Comartin NDP Windsor—Tecumseh, ON
With regard to quality, your predecessor again was great at extolling this as the best DNA database in the world. He had convinced me of that, but the Auditor General found that in fact there were issues around quality. What are you doing with regard to those concerns?
12:50 p.m.
Commr Beverley A. Busson
We were actually in the midst of the Auditor General's report when those observations were made known. We have engaged a number of other labs to come and do peer research of our lab, and there are some other things taking place as well.