Details of federal firearm buyback program to be announced Saturday

A restricted gun licence holder holds a AR-15 at his home in Langley, B.C., on Friday, May 1, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

OTTAWA — The Liberal government plans to announce details of its national program to compensate owners of banned firearms at a briefing in Montreal on Saturday.

Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree, Québec Public Security Minister Ian Lafrenière and police representatives are set to take part.

Liberal MP and secretary of state for nature Nathalie Provost, who was shot by a gunman during a 1989 rampage, is also expected to be at the announcement.

Since May 2020, Ottawa has outlawed about 2,500 types of guns on the basis they belong only on the battlefield.

The federal government says the national buyback program, which could cost more than $700 million, will provide owners fair compensation for outlawed firearms.

Gun control advocates generally applaud the initiative, while Conservative MPs and some gun owners call it a wasteful plan that targets law-abiding citizens.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 16, 2026.

Jim Bronskill, The Canadian Press