Missing persons registry. Absolutely. Dollars well spent. There are numerous greater value for dollar programs. Our health care program, anyone could say that. However, even if it came down to a few things like improving water and sewer systems throughout the nation, how many lives would have been saved? How many lives were lost in Walkerton? How many lives are lost in first nations communities as a result of poor water and sewer treatment and poor housing? The money would have been better spent.
Had the government been upfront with the amount of dollars that were spent on the registry, at least we might have been able to accept part of it.
I would be the first to admit there are differing opinions in different parts of Canada on the gun registry. Within my caucus there are differing opinions. It is based on where we live and what we deal with in our communities. I am from a northern rural community with a number of aboriginal communities. I grew up in rural Saskatchewan. Firearms and long arms were a part of the existence. It was a part of hunting. Whether we were aboriginal or non-aboriginal, it was a part of our way of life. Therefore we do not have that fear, and some would say, disrespect for firearms that exists elsewhere.
That is not to say there are not some accidents or deaths as a result of it. There are ways of dealing with that. Preventive measures can be taken to deal with the deaths related to firearms. The bottom line is there has been a misunderstanding of how we deal with things.
It is absolutely more crucial that Canadians in urban centres have a look at this issue again. We must look at it again from the aspect of cost value. I implore Canadians in urban centres to talk to their members of Parliament and to the government, and let them know it is not acceptable. I implore them to let the government know that they want to know what has been happening to this program.
Canadians want to know the number of possession licences, the number of acquisition licences, the revenue that the government took in on those licences, and the administration expenses. That is pretty basic business. A business degree is not required to come up with this information. Canadians want to know the number of owners who are registering their guns, the number of guns registered, and the cost per each item. They also want to know the amount of revenue taken in and the expenses putting it out. It is pretty basic.
I have a hard time understanding why the government cannot give out those figures unless it deliberately does not want to give them out. Is it possible that maybe some of that money that has been allocated has been used elsewhere? Canadians are starting to think that. Either the money is not for value within the registry, or it is being used elsewhere. We all know that the government can Mickey Mouse around with dollars within budgets, and it has people thinking that money is not being spent where it is supposed to be spent.
What were the administration costs within the justice department when the firearms registry was within that department? What are the costs within the Solicitor General's department? That should be pretty easy because that department just received the registry. It has been keeping track since the Solicitor General took over.
Why the government cannot give out that information is beyond me? We hate to bring this up, but how can we not in light of the dollars that have been misused by the government? What about the money through technology partnerships that went to certain members and businesses that were tied to certain members within the governing side? How can we not wonder that something is wrong here?
The government has disappointed this nation. It has brought to question the integrity of all parliamentarians, and it should be ashamed. There is not a member on the governing side who should not be absolutely ashamed to have to respond to this kind of misuse of taxpayers' dollars, misrepresenting what the cost would be. Who in their right mind would continue a program that is costing 500 times more than it was said it would cost? Who in their right mind would continue it? This is just not acceptable.
I say to the governing side and to all of their constituents that if they do nothing else they should question the government and insist that it come through with where this money went, and come up with a better program.
There is probably not a member of Parliament here, even from the governing side, who does not believe in gun control. I take offence when it is suggested that somehow if we do not agree with this misuse of taxpayers' dollars on the gun registry that somehow we are selling Canadians out and do not believe in gun control. That is not true. We believe in gun control.
However, we do not agree that just for the sake of appeasing some people and getting votes that a program is put in place that will cost 500 times more than what initially the government said it would cost, and continue on with it. It is not acceptable.
I wish to commend my colleague for bringing up this issue. I hope that when it comes time to vote on this, members will consider those dollars and what they could be used for. Quite frankly, unless the government can ensure that the cost is going to be way down, it should re-evaluate this whole process.
It is unfair to Canadians. It is unfair to the lives that are lost for numerous other reasons because the government has said there is no money for other programs. It is time to stand up and say that the government must take a look at this. It is just not acceptable.