The Trudeau government has lost a key ally in its effort to take hundreds of thousands of military-style firearms out of circulation, putting one of the government’s most important security policies at risk.
The federal government’s plan, launched in 2020, to buy back and destroy banned firearms, including AR-15s, has long been criticized by firearms industry groups and the Conservative Party of Canada.
But the project is now under attack from gun control group PolyRemembers, which has threatened to withdraw its support for the buyback program unless the Canadian government expands its scope to include military-style firearms that remain legal.
The group warns that owners of banned firearms could use compensation checks from the federal government to obtain other firearms that have many of the same characteristics and mechanical features as the banned weapons.
“This is a waste of Canadians’ money. We’re not lowering the risk level, we’re simply swapping out makes and models,” said PolyRemembers spokesperson Natalie Provost.
The cost of the program has not yet been made public, but is expected to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
Provost, who survived multiple gunshot wounds during a massacre that left 14 women dead at Polytechnique de Montreal about 35 years ago, called the current program a “sieve.”
“If our safety is important to politicians, then we have to implement this buyback program. But if we do it, we have to do it efficiently, not just for show. And right now, it’s just for show,” she said.
The group points out that other semi-automatic military-style firearms, such as the Crusader Arms Krypto and Kodiak Defense WK180-C semi-automatic rifles, remain legal in Canada.
The criticism comes as Ottawa prepares to recall firearms that were banned in 2020, forcing retailers to keep them in stock.
The second phase of the program, scheduled for spring 2025, aims to take back hundreds of thousands of firearms currently in private hands.
In both cases, the government buybacks would cover 1,500 different types of firearms and their parts, a complicated project that was complicated in part because Canada Post declined to participate earlier this year, citing safety concerns.
Much of the work will be overseen by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, but Ottawa has said it is relying on support from provincial police in Ontario and Quebec.
Despite opposition from PolyRemembers, the federal government is refusing to change plans just before the program’s launch, which aims to collect and destroy more than 150,000 prohibited firearms and their parts across the country.
“We have no intention of amending the list at this time. Our efforts are focused on the successful launch of this program, which is the most concrete way to strengthen public safety in Canada and respect the goals we have set for ourselves,” said Jean-Sébastien Comeau, spokesman for Public Security Minister Dominic Leblanc.
One expert said he doubted the plan could survive the rejection of prominent gun control groups, especially now that the Liberal minority government has lost the formal support of the NDP.
“All the signs are negative when it comes to implementing a program that is very complex and relies on provincial government cooperation,” said Frederic Boily, a political science professor at the University of Alberta.
The firearms industry and PolyRemembers have been at odds over gun control measures for decades, but now agree on the flaws in buyback programs.
Wes Winkel, president of the Canadian Sporting Arms and Ammunition Association (CSAAA), said gun owners can still purchase many models of firearms that are similar to the banned weapons.
“Taxpayers should be extremely upset about this process because it takes taxpayer money to purchase and destroy perfectly good firearms, and then licensed consumers use the same funds to purchase the exact same firearm of a different brand, make and model,” said Winkel, who is also president of Elwood Epps Sporting Goods Inc. in Orillia, Ont.
Winkel argued that the government had adopted a nonsensical policy that was not based on an objective definition of a gun’s performance. He likened the gun buyback program to trying to reduce speeding by banning Corvettes.
“Mustangs, Trans Ams and Ferraris are still around. Anyone who knows anything about cars will tell you this just doesn’t make sense,” he said.
Tony Bernardo, president of the Canadian Shooting Sport Federation, believes the government is banning firearms based on “how they look,” and accuses groups like PolyRemembers of trying to ban them because they’re “black and ugly.”
“What would you actually accomplish if you banned all AR-15s?” he said. “It would accomplish nothing, it’s a stupid idea. Realistically, the Liberal Party probably knows it’s a stupid idea, but it’s selling votes.”
Firearms lobby groups predict the buyback program will fail due to strong opposition from gun owners and the Saskatchewan and Alberta governments.
Many members of the firearms industry are hoping for a Conservative victory in the next federal election, with Conservative Leader Pierre Poiriervre promising to repeal so-called “gun confiscation.”
In early 2021, families of the Polytechnique victims informed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that he would not be welcome at any commemorations of the tragedy that year, as the buyback program was still voluntary at the time.
In response, the Liberals stepped up to make the stock buyback program mandatory.
Provost has now warned the Trudeau government that its participation in events marking the 35th anniversary of the Polytechnique massacre is again in doubt. He said no decision has been made yet, adding that it will be decided by the broader community of victims’ families and survivors.
“How can we mourn alongside the premier and Minister Leblanc if the prime minister has not delivered on his promises?” she said.
The president said the fight continues for all those traumatized by the incident at Polytechnic University and who are calling for the abolition of assault weapons in Canada.
“Now is not the time for ideas, or even promises. It is a time for action and decisions,” she said.