Gun control group criticizes Ottawa over 'poor participation' in firearm buyback

People protest against a federal firearms ban and compensation program in front of the legislature in Quebec City, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot

OTTAWA — Gun control advocacy group PolySeSouvient blames “weak political leadership” for what it calls “poor participation” in a federal compensation program for banned firearms.

Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said Tuesday that gun owners had reported more than 52,000 firearms to the government with one week left to go in the program to provide compensation for banned guns.

That figure is well short of the 136,000 firearms for which the Liberal government set aside compensation money when the buyback for individual owners opened in January.

In a media statement issued Wednesday, PolySeSouvient said weak messaging about the program has failed to counter misinformation and disingenuous provincial manoeuvring.

Since May 2020, Ottawa has outlawed about 2,500 types of firearms, including the AR-15 and Ruger Mini-14, on the basis they belong only on the battlefield.

Prohibited firearms and devices must be disposed of or deactivated by the end of an amnesty period on Oct. 30, regardless of whether gun owners take part in the compensation program.

Owners have until Tuesday to declare interest in the buyback program.

Anandasangaree said earlier this week he was “cautiously optimistic” as the deadline approaches.

Conservative MPs and some firearm owners say the buyback is a wasteful exercise that targets law-abiding citizens.

Conservative public safety critic Frank Caputo said this week the Liberals should use the hundreds of millions of dollars earmarked for compensation to go after criminals and their guns, and to hire new RCMP officers.

PolySeSouvient, which has long pushed for a comprehensive buyback program, said that while the gun lobby is celebrating the fact that a large number of gun owners have so far held back from registering with the program, “the fact remains that refusing to participate in the buyback does not exempt anyone from the law.”

It only means gun owners who don’t participate won’t be financially compensated for firearms that will be illegal to possess after Oct. 30, the group noted.

Quebec supports the federal compensation program but a number of other provinces and territories -- including Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador -- have snubbed the plan.

Saskatchewan has introduced amendments to the province’s firearms law it says will help gun owners and businesses receive fair compensation for their property.

It says once the changes pass, Saskatchewan firearms owners and businesses will be able to apply for a certificate of exemption allowing them to continue to possess and store their lawfully owned -- but now prohibited -- firearms on behalf of the province.

Saskatchewan says these certificates will remain in place until firearms owners are fairly compensated by the federal government.

PolySeSouvient says such tactics may have led many gun owners to believe they will be exempted from the federal ban, contributing to low participation in Ottawa’s compensation program.

“Minister Anandasangaree has not provided gun owners with a realistic perspective regarding the feasibility or constitutionality of such political and legal manoeuvrings,” the group’s statement said.

“He should, at the very least and immediately, promise that Ottawa will challenge any legal tactic that counters the federal government’s authority to prohibit the private ownership of specific weapons.”

The government’s decision not to include the SKS rifle in the list of banned guns is also problematic, PolySeSouvient says.

The SKS is commonly used in Indigenous communities to hunt for food. It also has been used in police killings and other high-profile shootings in recent years.

The Liberal government says it is carrying out a broad review of Canada’s firearms classification regime that will include consultations with Indigenous communities on the SKS.

PolySeSouvient and other gun control advocacy groups have called on Ottawa to immediately end new SKS sales while exempting models currently used by Indigenous hunters from prohibition.

Simon Lafortune, a spokesperson for Anandasangaree’s office, said Wednesday the minister appreciates the concerns expressed by PolySeSouvient and thanks the group for its advocacy.

“While there may be some differences in how we tackle the issue, we share the same fundamental objective: keeping our communities safe by reducing gun violence and getting dangerous firearms off our streets.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 25, 2026.

Jim Bronskill, The Canadian Press