From: owner-can-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca (Cdn-Firearms Digest) To: cdn-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Subject: Cdn-Firearms Digest V9 #501 Reply-To: cdn-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Sender: owner-can-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Errors-To: owner-can-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Precedence: normal Cdn-Firearms Digest Friday, June 9 2006 Volume 09 : Number 501 In this issue: Letter: Registry flawed Top civil servant feared political impact of gun registry Top bureaucrat feared political impact of gun registry RCMP agents committed crimes in line of duty Gun call a hoax Guns rain down on officer during drug raid [COLUMN] New take on role of think-tanks ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 9 Jun 2006 06:31:19 -0600 (CST) From: owner-cdn-firearms@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca (Majordomo User) Subject: Letter: Registry flawed PUBLICATION: Calgary Herald DATE: 2006.06.05 EDITION: Final SECTION: Q: Queries - Quibbles - Quirks PAGE: A15 BYLINE: Gerry Gamble SOURCE: Calgary Herald WORD COUNT: 188 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Registry flawed - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Guns - Re: "World is watching gun registry's fate," Kris Kotarski, Opinion, May 27. Kris Kotarski's article is so fraught with misinformation it is hard to determine where to begin. The claim that the registry tells the police if a firearm is present at a residence is outlandish. No police officer with a shred of logic would trust the information from the registry to determine the presence of a firearm at a call. One need look no further than the Mayerthorpe tragedy or the shooting of Const. Valerie Gignac to disprove this seriously flawed contention. One of the auditor general's chief criticisms of the registry was that the information in it couldn't be trusted. Kotarski never explains how keeping track of the firearms of Canadian hunters and target shooters is remotely connected with the world trade in illicit firearms. He says other countries are looking to emulate Canada's registry. I didn't realize there was a great world demand for a horrendously expensive, inefficient firearm registration system that has never been proven to make citizens safer. Contrary to being the envy of other countries, the registry's implementation has made us a laughing stock -- the country where a gun control system with a 500-times cost overrun failed to protect anyone. That is nothing to be proud of. Gerry Gamble, St. Catharines, Ont. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Jun 2006 07:26:58 -0600 (CST) From: owner-cdn-firearms@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca (Majordomo User) Subject: Top civil servant feared political impact of gun registry NOTE: Versions of this Canadian Press story ran in the following papers: New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal, Sault Star, Times & Transcript (Moncton), The Daily Gleaner (Fredericton), Edmonton Sun and Calgary Sun. DATE: 2006.06.08 CATEGORY: National general news BYLINE: JIM BROWN PUBLICATION: cpw WORD COUNT: 522 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Top civil servant feared political impact of gun registry spending, MPs told - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ OTTAWA (CP) _ A top civil servant balked at revealing the federal gun registry was over budget two years ago because she feared potential repercussions on the 2004 election campaign, a parliamentary committee has heard. Margaret Bloodworth was then deputy minister of public safety under the Liberal government of Paul Martin. She has since been promoted by Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper to associate secretary to cabinet _ making her the No. 2 civil servant in Ottawa. Bloodworth would not confirm Thursday whether she made the statements attributed to her by a colleague who attended a key meeting of bureaucrats in February 2004. The issue was whether to book $21.8 million in computer expenses run up by the gun registry in the fiscal year then coming to an end. Had the money been reported to Parliament as part of the yearly spending estimates, it would have put the troubled registry over budget and forced then-public safety minister Anne McLellan to ask Parliament for additional funds _ a political embarrassment just as the Liberals were about to call an election. John Wiersema, then acting comptroller general, told the Commons public accounts committee he was present when Bloodworth voiced her opposition to any such move. ``Madam Bloodworth indicated that she was unable to recommend that the minister seek supplementary estimates because it would have implications for the pending federal election,'' said Wiersema. ``At that point it was clear to me that it was political considerations that (were) the determining factor in that meeting.'' Conservative MP John Williams asked Bloodworth, in general terms, whether it was true she had invoked ``political considerations'' at the meeting. The veteran bureaucrat offered a one-word response: ``No.'' But no MP pressed her on the specifics of Wiersema's testimony. Questioned later by reporters, she repeatedly refused to say if she had been quoted accurately. ``I'm not going to answer anything further,'' she said as she hurried down the hall. ``I've said what I have to say.'' Conservatives have long contended the former Liberal government tried to keep Parliament in the dark about spending on the gun registry, which was supposed to cost $2 million but ran up expenses of nearly $1 billion over its first decade of operation. But the Tories appeared reluctant Thursday to lay any blame on Bloodworth, whose promotion to associate cabinet secretary was announced in April. Williams maintained that Bloodworth and other public servants were merely taking the fall for McLellan and her cabinet colleagues. ``This was a political decision, it wasn't a bureaucratic decision. The bureaucracy were asked to find some way to justify it.'' Bloodworth, however, insisted she was guided by accounting and legal criteria and never came under political pressure. ``I categorically deny that I, or anyone else I was involved with, had any intention of misleading Parliament,'' she said. Liberal committee chairman Shawn Murphy said it's unlikely the panel will pursue the matter further. ``The unfortunate part is that there are no minutes or records of the (February 2004) meeting. There's no documentation to support anything anyone says.'' That fact was previously noted by Auditor General Sheila Fraser, who slammed the decision to put off booking the $21.8 million in computer costs until the next fiscal year. Fraser also found another $39 million in costs had been previously postponed, but concluded that was probably a simple accounting error. Wiersema argued at the time the costs should have been booked in the year in which they were incurrred. After he was overruled he quit as comptroller general and now serves as deputy auditor general. The Conservatives have announced a series of fee waivers and amnesties for rifle and shotgun owners as a prelude to eventually abolishing the long-gun registry. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Jun 2006 07:34:05 -0600 (CST) From: owner-cdn-firearms@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca (Majordomo User) Subject: Top bureaucrat feared political impact of gun registry NOTE: A shorter version of this story also ran in the Saskatoon Star Phoenix. Canadian Press and Sun Media also ran similar stories. PUBLICATION: The Ottawa Citizen DATE: 2006.06.09 EDITION: Final SECTION: News PAGE: A1 / Front BYLINE: Kathryn May SOURCE: The Ottawa Citizen WORD COUNT: 916 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Top bureaucrat feared political impact of gun registry overruns, MPs told: Accountant recalls senior official didn't want to affect election - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ A senior bureaucrat overseeing the controversial gun registry didn't want to go to Parliament for more money to cover cost overruns two years ago for fear that it would affect the 2004 federal election, the government's former top accountant said yesterday. John Wiersema told the Commons public accounts committee yesterday that Margaret Bloodworth told a meeting of senior bureaucrats in February 2004 that she didn't relish asking Parliament for more money because the firearms centre was over budget because of the "implications" for the campaign. At the time, the highly respected Ms. Bloodworth was deputy minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness. She has since been made associate secretary to cabinet and the second-highest ranking bureaucrat in the federal government. Yesterday, Ms. Bloodworth, who also appeared at committee, denied any suggestions that she faced political pressure to find a way to avoid to going to Parliament for more money to cover the mounting development costs for the registry's computer system. In fact, all the bureaucrats who testified during the committee's hearings insisted they faced no political direction or interference. "I categorically deny that I or anyone else I was involved with had any intention of misleading Parliament," Ms. Bloodworth told the committee. The committee, however, failed to directly ask Ms. Bloodworth if Mr. Wiersema's account of the meeting was true. She later refused to comment further when pressed by reporters after the meeting. "I'm not going to answer anything further," she said. "I have said what I have to say." The question of political interference is one of the issues at the centre of the committee's probe to determine who was responsible for the decision to conceal the true cost of the firearms registry from Parliament. It re-opens many of the thorny accountability issues that bedeviled the Gomery inquiry, including whether senior bureaucrats make decisions based on what they think their political bosses want. Mr. Wiersema, who is now the deputy auditor general, told the committee that he believed $21.8 million in computer development costs should have been reported as part of the firearms centre's budget for fiscal 2003-2004. Auditor General Sheila Fraser came to the same conclusion in her recent audit of the Canada Firearms Centre. Mr. Wiersema said his strong views were well known and were rejected by other senior bureaucrats who decided to use an accounting treatment that allowed them to defer booking the $21.8 million until the following fiscal year. By doing that, the centre avoided the embarrassing and politically explosive situation of having to reveal the extra costs and go back to Parliament for more money for the controversial program. "I can almost quote the statement because it did stand out in my mind," said Mr. Wiersema when pressed by MPs for his recollection of the meeting. "I believe Madame Bloodworth made the comment that 'I cannot recommend that to my minister because it will have implications for the upcoming election. '... It was at that point that it became clear to me that my view was not going to carry the day on this." Mr. Wiersema said the accounting decision is one of the reasons he decided to quit his job as comptroller general and return to the auditor general's office. He recused himself from any involvement in Ms. Fraser's recent audit of the firearms centre other than he was interviewed as part of the probe. Ms. Bloodworth and former Treasury Board secretary Jim Judd were the last key witnesses called to testify in the committee's probe. Previous witnesses included several current and former deputy ministers from Justice, Treasury Board, Comptroller General's Office and the firearms centre. The accounting treatment of the $21.8 million came to light during Ms. Fraser's latest report. She argued the failure to book the computer development costs in the 2003-2004 was a blatant violation of the government's accounting policy and kept Parliament in the dark about its true costs. Ms. Bloodworth testified she asked the Justice Department for a legal opinion on how to handle the issue because the gun registry was considering a different accounting treatment from the previous year and bureaucrats seemed confused about whether the cost incurred was a liability or a debt. The centre eventually relied on that legal opinion when making its decision to put off booking the $21.8 million until the next fiscal year. Some MPs on the committee believe bureaucrats hid the embarrassing cost overruns under orders from their ministers and are now taking the fall for their political masters. "This was a political decision, not a bureaucratic decision. The bureaucrats were asked to find some way to justify this," said Conservative MP John Williams. "We never had clear direct statements saying the ministers were not informed. Therefore, I am of the opinion that ministers were informed and they (the bureaucrats) are taking the fall and protecting the ministers." The committee has no plans to call then-public safety minister Anne McLellan or any of her cabinet colleagues to testify. Liberal MP Shawn Murphy, who chairs the committee, said there isn't a "scintilla of evidence" of political interference. He said he expects bureaucrats anticipate possible political fallout of their decisions, especially on a file as controversial as gun registry over the past decade. "Everything to do with the gun registry was controversial," he said. "The fact that $20 million was allocated from one year to another wouldn't get three seconds of time from some deputy ministers in a normal department, but this was a very controversial issue and that's obviously the attention you would expect." But Mr. Murphy said Mr. Wiersema's assertions about Ms. Bloodworth drives home the "systemic" problems in government decision-making and the need for bureaucrats to keep records about key meetings and decisions. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Jun 2006 07:35:15 -0600 (CST) From: Bruce Mills Subject: RCMP agents committed crimes in line of duty http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/news/story.html?id=84f82a8e-6cee-4a7a-8ef3-91a6e5f1a5e4&k=82524 RCMP agents committed crimes in line of duty Cristin Schmitz CanWest NewsService Friday, June 09, 2006 OTTAWA -- RCMP civilian agents with immunity from prosecution covertly committed a range of crimes, including firearms offences, counterfeiting and theft over $5,000 under the Mounties' direction in 2004-2005, the federal government has disclosed. The latest report on the RCMP's use of a new law which for the first time gives police, and agents under their authority, an immunity from prosecution for most crimes committed in the line of duty, was tabled in the Commons chamber a week ago by Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day. The contentious law shields designated "public officers" police, park wardens, fisheries officers, customs officials and jail guards who are enforcing any federal statute, and their agents from criminal liability for virtually all crimes, short of obstructing justice, sex crimes, or violence causing bodily harm, provided their otherwise illegal conduct is "reasonable and proportional" to the crimes being investigated. Thursday, the Canadian Bar Association, the voice for 36,000 lawyers across the country, demanded the government repeal the Criminal Code provisions which law enforcement officials call "essential" to combat organized criminals and terrorists but civil libertarians deplore as unnecessary and unconstitutional. "It is highly questionable whether it is consistent with the rule of law for police to break the law in order to enforce it," said Vancouver lawyer Greg DelBigio, who spoke for the association before the Commons justice committee Thursday. "Police agents are typically themselves criminals and cannot be trusted or relied upon to abide by the law or follow a police officer's directions," DelBigio argued. The justice committee is in the midst of an overdue mandatory three-year study of whether the February 2002 law is working, and what reforms should be made. Statistics disclosed last week by the government in its third annual report on the law reveal that from Feb. 1, 2004 to Jan. 31, 2005, the RCMP authorized its agents, typically informers and criminals, to commit multiple crimes on seven occasions, including illegal firearms offences, possession of stolen goods, possession of forged passports, theft over $5,000 and counterfeiting. What would otherwise have been illegal activities were committed during investigations into the alleged sale of contraband and jewelry, immigration offences, and suspected crimes involving stolen property, improperly stamped tobacco products, and counterfeiting. No illegal conduct by police officers themselves was disclosed, but that does not necessarily mean that police did not dirty their hands. Although the law requires all illegal conduct by police agents to be publicly disclosed, in the case of police officers' own actions only those illegal activities that are likely to result in the loss of, or serious damage to, property must be publicly reported. There were no offences in that category committed by police in 2004, says the report. However that leaves a host of otherwise illegal activities, including physical assaults short of causing bodily harm, that could have been engaged in by police without Parliament or the public ever finding out. "If breaking the law to enforce the law can ever be justified, it requires meaningful oversight and accountability," DelBigio stressed. "The current (reporting) mechanisms are woefully inadequate." The bar association called for more detailed disclosure, and more robust civilian oversight, of RCMP conduct, as well as ongoing compulsory reviews of the law by Parliament every three years. If the law is not scrapped, it should be changed to require a judge's approval before police can commit crimes, the association urged. That idea was rejected as long ago as 2001 by the Conservatives when they were in opposition. RCMP Assistant Commissioner Raf Souccar assured the justice committee the Mounties observe "strict policy guidelines" to ensure they comply with all the safeguards in the law. "In many types of criminal organizations and terrorist-related investigations it is sometimes vital for undercover police officers to pose as those engaged in criminal activity," he testified recently. He cited as an example successful stings in Montreal and Toronto where the RCMP purchased from an organized gang about $250,000 in counterfeit cash and false passports, social insurance cards and driver's licenses. Without the immunity from prosecution, police would be "severely restricted in their investigative capabilities," he said. "The legislation has not been abused." © CanWest News Service 2006 ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Jun 2006 08:14:09 -0600 (CST) From: Bruce Mills Subject: Gun call a hoax http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/news/story.html?id=c041b1f0-e02a-4353-b581-1e7bd77a8032&k=16170 Gun call a hoax Leader-Post Published: Thursday, June 08, 2006 Police officers rushed to Holy Rosary School on Thursday afternoon after receiving a report that a youth with a gun was inside the school. Responding to the call shortly before 4 p.m., four police cars lined the street in front of the school and officers searched dumpsters and the area around Holy Rosary for more than half an hour. Regina Police Service spokesperson Elizabeth Popowich said school staff found the young man, but the youth did not have a weapon on him. Further investigation led officers to believe the allegation, made by other students, was unfounded. "It was, we believe, essentially made up," Popowich said. She said the allegation was taken seriously, and school authorities acted quickly. No one at the school was at risk, said Ben Grebinski, a superintendent with Regina Catholic Schools who was at the scene. "This situation required us to investigate but we are confident that no students at any time were at risk, nor were any of our staff at risk," Grebinski said. "Any time there is any kind of suggestion that would call attention to itself or raise a concern with respect to the safety of our students, we respond in a very diligent manner." © 2006 ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Jun 2006 08:32:06 -0600 (CST) From: Bruce Mills Subject: Guns rain down on officer during drug raid http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1149803410250&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154&t=TS_Home Guns rain down on officer during drug raid LINDA NGUYEN STAFF REPORTER Jun. 9, 2006. 01:00 AM Guns were falling from the sky during a major drug bust on Wednesday night, police say. Toronto police Sgt. Don MacCallum of 22 Division said he was standing outside a building at Lawrence Ave. W. and Keele St. while officers stormed an apartment in the building. The apartment was believed to be part of an alleged cocaine network. The next thing he knew, guns were raining down from the balcony, landing next to where he was standing. "Three guns were thrown off the balcony: a .45 calibre pistol, a .25 calibre pistol and a 9 mm pistol. They were all cocked and loaded." Had any of the guns hit his head, MacCallum could have been seriously injured, he said. "First, I giggled and then I had one of those moments of `Oh, damn!'" MacCallum, who was in charge of the case, said a "herd of police officers" carried out the warrant because the suspects, who had been under investigation since last summer, were considered armed and dangerous. Seven men and one woman are facing more than 70 weapons and drug-related charges. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Jun 2006 08:54:50 -0600 (CST) From: Bruce Mills Subject: [COLUMN] New take on role of think-tanks http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1149803409877&call_pageid=968256290204&col=968350116795 New take on role of think-tanks Jun. 9, 2006. 01:00 AM CAROL GOAR Industrialist Roger Phillips has a short answer and a long answer for those who see sinister right-wing motives in his decision to donate $1 million to the C.D. Howe Institute for a permanent social policy research program. His short answer is a trifle glib. "People on the far right don't think there should be any social programs." His long answer is more interesting. It dates back to an exchange Phillips witnessed a decade ago. He was attending a conference on privatization in Saskatchewan. The keynote speaker was Sir Roger Douglas, finance minister in New Zealand's Labour government from 1984 to 1988. After his presentation, Douglas was confronted by a local union activist who asked how he could call himself a socialist after selling off many of his country's state-owned enterprises. The globetrotting New Zealander was unruffled. "We want to have a minimum quality of life for everyone in our country," he said. "And we want to make the average as high as possible." Phillips, retired head of a Regina steel company, shares those goals. "I'm not married to any prescription. What matters is results." He announced his precedent-setting endowment last week. Too often, Phillips said, well-intentioned policy-makers launch social programs without adequate knowledge. These interventions have unintended consequences. They make it harder for people to climb out of poverty, harder for the unemployed to find work and harder for have-not regions to get ahead. "We don't always get it right," he said. "The bottom line is: Social policy has to be well thought out." Phillips's gift is attracting attention in the non-profit sector for three reasons: First, there is the size. It is the largest donation the C.D. Howe Institute has ever received. "This sends an important signal about the role of think-tanks," said Duncan Munn, the institute's director of development and public affairs. "It's not a favourite sector for philanthropic participation, not an area where people think about giving." Phillips's contribution pales in comparison to the multi-million dollar pledges made by wealthy individuals to hospitals, universities and large cultural institutions in recent months. But in the realm of independent public policy research, it is groundbreaking. Second, there is the timing. The gift was announced one month after Finance Minister Jim Flaherty eliminated the capital gains tax on stocks donated to charity. Although Phillips has not specified how he will deliver the money, the institute expects that most of it will come in the form of publicly traded securities. This has fuelled hopes that the tax break will unleash an outpouring of similar offerings from affluent shareholders. Third, there is the impact on Canada's social policy debate. The C.D. Howe Institute is known primarily as an economic think-tank, focusing on taxes, trade, monetary policy and government finances. It has tackled social policy issues in the past — aboriginal poverty, welfare reform and student debt — but these efforts were sporadic and subject to the availability of funds. "This allows us to make a sustaining commitment to work in these areas," said incoming president Bill Robson. "I would have wanted to do it anyway, but now we feel like we've got a bit of wind in our sails." Phillips left it up to the institute's staff to choose research topics. Although Robson has not worked out a detailed plan, he did identify some of the subjects that interest him: # Why do some people move in and out of poverty, while others seem trapped? # What can be done to ensure that social assistance, employment insurance, housing and child care subsidies and the various tax credits available to low-income Canadians work together rather than at cross-purposes? # How can economic signals be changed to reward, not penalize, people who try to improve their lot? "Some of the contributions we make to social policy will rub some people the wrong way," Robson acknowledged. "But as economists, we think the way to come at this is to investigate and respond to discoveries." Critics of the C.D. Howe Institute remain wary. It is a business-sponsored think-tank with a preference for market solutions to human problems. It has little contact with the people it is trying to help. And its financial resources dwarf those of left-wing organizations such as the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. But no one disputes the need for an informed social policy debate in this country. Moving from accusations and labels to facts and dialogue would be a healthy change. Carol Goar's column appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday. ------------------------------ End of Cdn-Firearms Digest V9 #501 ********************************** Submissions: mailto:cdn-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Mailing List Commands: mailto:majordomo@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Moderator's e-mail address: mailto:akimoya@cogeco.ca List owner: mailto:owner-cdn-firearms@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca FAQ list: http://www.magma.ca/~asd/cfd-faq1.html and http://teapot.usask.ca/cdn-firearms/Faq/cfd-faq1.html Web Site: http://teapot.usask.ca/cdn-firearms/homepage.html FTP Site: ftp://teapot.usask.ca/pub/cdn-firearms/ CFDigest Archives: http://www.sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca/~ab133/ or put the next command in an e-mail message and mailto:majordomo@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca get cdn-firearms-digest v04.n192 end (192 is the digest issue number and 04 is the volume) To unsubscribe from _all_ the lists, put the next five lines in a message and mailto:majordomo@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca unsubscribe cdn-firearms-digest unsubscribe cdn-firearms-alert unsubscribe cdn-firearms-chat unsubscribe cdn-firearms end (To subscribe, use "subscribe" instead of "unsubscribe".) 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