Mr. Speaker, December 1 marked the first anniversary of the beginning of the implementation of the new firearms legislation. I would like to assure my colleague that contrary to the opinion of some here, this new program is making a real difference, a difference we can measure.
First, it is making a real difference in terms of public safety. The objective of the firearms legislation is to create a culture of safety regarding firearms in Canada and to keep guns out of the hands of those who should not have them. Looking over the record of the past year, we can plainly see that the program is doing just that.
Stricter eligibility checks on licence holders and applicants is one piece of evidence. Officials have refused 587 new applications for public safety reasons and have revoked 504 licences to individuals who no longer meet the eligibility requirements. This number is significant. It is seven times higher than the total for the past five years. It is a measurement of the success of a new system that provides more information in a timely manner to public safety authorities.
The checking system is also successful in uncovering cases of licence falsification, unauthorized sale of firearms and spousal abuse.
Second, the program is making a difference in terms of what it offers police. The program has provided police services with concrete savings. In fact, there is an annual saving of $30 million because officers no longer have to do the paperwork of accepting applications and issuing licences. This allows police more time to do policing. It certainly does not take police off the streets and it does not reduce municipal, provincial or RCMP police budgets. In fact, the federal government reimburses provinces and other administrators of the system for the work they do in the firearms program.
Then there is the fact that the registry provides vital information to police, information that is invaluable to criminal investigations. It enables police to take preventive measures when responding to emergency calls and to identify guns held illegally.
In fact, Canadians should be proud of the country's firearms legislation. This legislation will make our communities safer. It is unfortunate that the Reform Party refuses to see this fact.