ZIFFPAGE TITLECanada Firearms

A national computerized firearm registry in Canada was supposed to cost taxpayers $2 million. Instead, it has held them up for more than $1 billion.

Canada Firearms Base Case

Headquarters:
284 Wellington St.,
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A 0H8

Phone:
(800) 731-4000

Business:
Government agency responsible for issuing firearms licenses and registering firearms.

Commissioner of Firearms:
William Baker

Financials:
$16 million Canadian ($11.8 million U.S.) in revenue from user fees in 2003; $33 million in operating costs.

Program implementation forecast:
$119 million

Actual cost:
$1 billion

Challenges:
To bring the program's annual operating expenses in line with revenues and overcome public hostility to the program's runaway implementation costs.

Baseline Goals

• Reduce annual operating expenses to $25 million per year, from $135 million in 2001.
• Cut waiting times for registration approvals to 30 days, from six months.
• Lower cost of processing licenses to $5.50, from $23.75, and registration forms to $4.60, from $16.28.
• Reduce follow-up inquiries to fewer than 20% of registrations, from 90%.