The federal government has unveiled the next steps in its national gun buyback program — and Canadians will have about two months to declare their interest in participating in order to receive compensation for turning in outlawed firearms.
Since 2020, Ottawa has banned about 2,500 makes and models of what the federal government calls “assault-style” firearms, arguing they are designed for warfare — not for hunting or sport shooting.
At a news conference on Saturday afternoon, Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said that “the compensation program is voluntary, but compliance with the law is not.”
“Please take advantage of the program we’re announcing today,” he added.
During a technical briefing for reporters on Saturday morning, an official from the federal government said the declaration period begins Monday and will run until March 31. Canadians can file declarations through the program’s online portal or by paper.
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Compensation payments will be issued within 45 business days of a successful validation of the outlawed firearm. The official said the pool of funding is $248.6 million — which will let the government pay for about 136,000 outlawed firearms from individual Canadians.
After the March 31 deadline, firearm owners who have not submitted a declaration can’t participate in the program, meaning they won’t receive compensation for turning in their outlawed firearms.
The briefing documents also said compensation will be determined on a first-come, first-served basis, based on the date the declaration is submitted and the availability of program funds at that time.
The documents also confirm that the amnesty period for possessing banned guns will end on Oct. 30, 2026. Afterwards, anyone in possession “will be breaking the law and could face criminal prosecution.”
If a firearm owner does not participate in the program, they can permanently deactivate their firearms at their own expense, turn in their firearms to local police for no compensation or export their firearms if they hold a permit, the documents said.
The federal official also told reporters that once the nationwide declaration process is underway, the government will reopen the buyback program for businesses that have prohibited firearms.
The buyback program has faced opposition from some gun owners and the Conservative Party of Canada — who have argued the federal government is punishing law-abiding gun owners with a policy that won’t make Canada safer.
Earlier this week, Manitoba Justice Minister Matt Wiebe said his province won’t administer the initiative. At the end of last year, Alberta unveiled its plan to fight the program.
Saskatchewan also introduced changes to its firearms legislation last November, proposing that anyone who seizes a firearm under the federal government’s laws must pay the owner fair market value as determined by the Saskatchewan Firearms Commissioner.
The federal government confirmed to CBC News because of the legislation in Alberta and Saskatchewan, the program will not run in those provinces. But Canadians in those two areas can still make their declarations.
In a statement, the Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights (CCFR) criticized Ottawa’s decision to move forward with the program, which it described as “wasteful, ineffective and divisive.” It called on the government to pay all affected gun owners, rather than limit itself to a specific pool of money.
Tracey Wilson, vice-president of public relations for CCFR, told CBC News in an interview she has no faith that the government “will do the right thing and focus instead on crime, violence and gun smuggling.”
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“Anybody who cares about liberty or property rights or just public safety in general, the focus should be removing this government from power,” Wilson said.
During the technical briefing, the federal official said the prohibitions are not being revisited.
Anandasangaree argued that “every assault-style firearm out of our communities is a step forward for public safety.”
A coalition of gun control advocacy groups said in a statement released Saturday afternoon that the program launch is “a win for public safety in Canada” and said the firearms outlawed by Ottawa “are not reasonably used for hunting” and pose serious public safety risks.
“Such weapons are commonly used in mass shootings and the killing of police officers.”
Last fall, the federal government launched a six-week voluntary pilot project in the Cape Breton region of Nova Scotia to test how the process would work. Officials were confident they would collect about 200 firearms.
Instead, just 25 were collected and destroyed, the Department of Public Safety revealed earlier this month. Responding to followup questions, the department said on Friday that 16 people participated.
In September, Anandasangaree found himself in hot water after he suggested in an audio recording that an acquaintance shouldn’t worry about being arrested for refusing to turn in a banned firearm because municipal police have few resources to devote to such matters.
The minister was also recorded saying the buyback was in part being done because the issue is important to Quebec voters.
In a statement at the time, Anandasangaree said his comments were “misguided.” He also insisted that police forces will be able to do their jobs.
