The federal government's national firearm confiscation initiative, branded as a "buyback" program, is encountering significant resistance and operational challenges before its full rollout. Multiple provinces are refusing to cooperate, and a recent pilot project collected a fraction of the targeted firearms, casting doubt on the program's viability.
Provincial Pushback and Lack of National Consensus
The program, championed by the Carney Liberals, will not function uniformly across Canada due to outright rejection from several provincial governments. Both Alberta and Saskatchewan have passed legislation to obstruct the program's application within their jurisdictions. Ontario has also indicated that its provincial police force, the OPP, will not be active participants.
During a technical briefing, federal officials could only confirm participation from police services in Cape Breton, Halifax, Winnipeg, and Quebec's provincial police. While the RCMP is involved nationally, its contract officers in Alberta and Saskatchewan will not enforce the program on behalf of the provinces.
Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree struggled to explain how the initiative would work in regions without local police support, effectively admitting that active collection would not occur in Saskatchewan and Alberta.
Pilot Project Yields Meager Results
The program's feasibility is further questioned by the results of a pilot project in Nova Scotia. Authorities aimed to collect at least 200 firearms from an area estimated to contain nearly 2,000 guns on the prohibited list. The final tally was just 25 firearms surrendered by 16 individuals. The government has not disclosed the models of the collected guns, and there are claims that not all were on the banned list, with one individual responsible for turning in most of them.
Minister Anandasangaree unveiled the program's details in Montreal on January 17, 2026, stating, "These are firearms designed for war, for killing people. They have no place in our communities." Critics immediately challenged this characterization, noting that Ukraine had previously rejected offers of similar firearms for its defense against Russia, contradicting the "weapons of war" label.
Funding Shortfall and Compliance Deadline
The financial structure of the program has also drawn criticism. The total estimated cost is $742.5 million, but only $248.6 million is allocated for compensating gun owners. This means approximately two-thirds of the budget is dedicated to bureaucracy, with one-third reserved for paying citizens for property the government is outlawing.
Compensation will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis, with the government expecting to pay for only about 136,000 firearms. This figure is hotly contested, as gun advocacy groups and industry experts estimate the true number of affected firearms is between 300,000 and 500,000, with no official registry existing.
Owners of prohibited firearms have until October 30 to either join the compensation program, render their guns inoperable, or surrender them to police without payment. "The compensation program is voluntary, but compliance with the law is not," Anandasangaree warned, noting that non-compliance could result in criminal liability and loss of one's firearms license.
Origins and Ongoing Criticism
The decision to ban what the government terms "assault-style firearms" was announced by former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on May 1, 2020, days after the Nova Scotia mass shooting. The perpetrator, Gabriel Wortman, used illegal guns smuggled from the United States and was not a licensed firearm owner. Critics argue the policy unfairly targets law-abiding citizens who undergo rigorous safety training and background checks, rather than addressing the root causes of gun violence involving illegal weapons.
With substantial provincial opposition, a poorly performing pilot, and a compensation fund that appears insufficient, the national scope and ultimate success of the Carney Liberals' firearm program remain in serious doubt.
