Details of how the federal firearms compensation program will go ahead have been released, dashing many gun owners’ optimism for the contrary based on recent remarks by the public safety minister.
The Liberal government has banned more than 2,500 models of what it calls “assault-style firearms” since May 2020. The individual portion of what was previously referred to as a “buyback program,” however, has not moved forward.
The program initially targeted only centrefire semi-automatics and high-energy guns. It was further expanded to include some tactical shotgun models and semi-automatic .22 rimfire models.
Included are many hunting calibres such as .460 Weatherby Magnum, despite these being bolt-action firearms.
Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree questioned the program, saying it had to be done to appease Québec, in a conversation with a tenant in a building he owns. In comments made public Sept. 20, he also said police lack the resources to enforce it.
“The minister’s leaked comments confirm what we’ve long suspected — the government is playing politics with people’s lawful property to shore up voter support in key areas,” Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters Policy Manager Mark Ryckman said.
Police across Canada have said they are unsure if they will take part in the program. Earlier this month, the OPP said it will not participate, following months of negotiations.
On Sept. 23, however, Anandasangaree was joined by MP Nathalie Provost, a long-time gun control advocate, and the Cape Breton police chief to announce a trial will take place on the Atlantic island for six weeks this fall. Participation is voluntary.
Details of the nation-wide rollout were also released. The program will consist of three parts: a declaration period where owners of these guns can declare what they own online, a collection period where the guns will be turned in or deactivated, and compensation after the collection requirements are met. A time frame was not announced, but the registry will open sometime this fall and amnesty for the owners was extended to the end of October 2026.
Hunting and firearms groups remain critical as gun control groups have upped the ante, now calling for banning the popular Soviet semi-automatic carbine SKS. “The OFAH is firmly opposed to the buyback program and we strongly urge the government to divert those valuable resources to initiatives that will actually reduce gun violence,” Ryckman said.
At the technical briefing on the buyback — which Ryckman attended — it was explained the budget for individual compensation was $742 million. That, however, doesn’t include the costs associated with people picking up the guns, creation of the needed IT program, and destroying them.
Ryckman believes capping the amount paid, will create competition among firearms owners. “It feels like the Hunger Games — you have a population of people that have done nothing wrong except oppose unfair treatment by the government, being coerced into participating in a program they don’t even agree with by the threat of being left with nothing in the end,” he said.
Oxford MP Arpan Khanna was among the Conservative MPs asking questions after Anandasangaree’s leaked statement. A target shooter for the last 13 years, he asked how the minister can say it’s a bad idea on the weekend and announce the start of the buyback two days later.
The Conservatives would end the program, he said. Earlier this year, Khanna introduced the Jail Not Bail Act, which the party said would make bail more restrictive for repeat violent offenders.
Ontario’s Provincial Police won’t collect firearms as part of the federal government’s “buyback.” Other police departments have yet to confirm their participation.
Dakota Moniz, a spokesperson for Ontario Solicitor General Michael Kerzner, said the buyback will do nothing to address gun violence in our communities as foreign guns are used in crimes. “Ontario police services do not have the resources to attend residential addresses to confiscate previously lawful but now prohibited firearms from lawful gun owners,” Moniz said.
Those remarks were echoed by the Police Association of Ontario, which represents some 32,000 sworn police officers and civilian police personnel from 46 police associations across the province. Association president Mark Baxter said “Real safety will be achieved by addressing the true sources of gun crime, not through symbolic actions that do not address the root problem.”
Originally published in the Nov.-Dec. 2025 issue of Ontario Out of Doors
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