Following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” – a list of failed and troubled projects from around the world.
Canadian Federal Government – Canada
Project name : Canadian Firearms program
Date : Jun 2006 Project Cost :$1,000M CAD
Synopsis :
In what may be the worst budget overrun in history, the costs to implement a registry of firearms balloons from $2M to $860M. Original plan called for the program to cost $119M of which all but $2M would be covered by license application fees. The program is eventually cut back, but not before cost had risen to $1B of which $140M would be covered by license fees.
Some reports indicate development costs for the database components of the registry rose from the original estimate of $1M to $60M.
Contributing factors as reported in the press:
Radical underestimation of complexity and scope of project. Justice Department failed to communicate cost overruns to parliament. Lack of oversight. Failure to keep records of critical decisions.
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