The federal government’s firearms buyback program has cost taxpayers about $67.2 million since it was announced in 2020, but it has yet to recover a single gun.
The program is designed to compensate owners of assault-style guns banned by the Liberal government in 2020. Details of the program have yet to be released four years on, but businesses and gun owners will be required to return, deactivate or destroy their illegal weapons by the end of October 2025. The government estimates there are 150,000 banned assault-style guns in the country.
The $67.2 million includes $56.1 million spent by Public Safety Canada and about $11.1 million by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, of which about $11.5 million was paid to outside consultants for software, logistics and communications support.
The figures were obtained by Senate Opposition Leader Donald Plett through a “written question,” a process used by lawmakers to obtain information from the government. Plett has called the program a “waste of money.”
“$67 million is an incredible and shocking amount of money to spend on a program that doesn’t yet exist – one that ultimately targets licensed, trained and law-abiding gun owners, not criminals,” Plett said in a statement to CTVNews.ca. “Even more outrageous is the fact that $11 million of taxpayers’ hard-earned money has been paid to outside consultants. These contracts should be made public.”
On Wednesday, Plett questioned government senator Mark Gold about the issue, and Gold said he would not submit any information detailing the $11.5 million outside contract.
“This government’s position on firearms legislation and its efforts to launch a firearms buyback program are at the heart of its concern for the well-being of Canadians.” Gold in the Senate“It is disappointing that this programme has not progressed further. The Government is doing everything in its power to move this forward.”
The firearms buyback program was announced in May 2020 in the wake of the deadliest mass shooting in Canadian history. 22 deaths in Nova Scotia Canada follows the example of New Zealand, which launched a similar program following a horrific mass shooting that claimed 51 lives in March 2019. In its first six months, New Zealand’s program collected more than 56,000 banned semi-automatic rifles.
a 2023 Purchase Order Questions At the time, 60 officers from Public Safety Canada and 15 from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police were assigned to the Canadian program, Plett said in a statement. Public Safety Canada said at least $117 million in funding had been secured to further develop the program.
Public Safety Canada has announced that the program Two PhasesStarting with business owners who have prohibited stocks and then trickling down to private owners, the May 2020 ban covers roughly 2,000 assault-style firearms and their variants. Proposed compensation The prices are based on original prices, which range from about $1,100 to more than $6,200 per weapon. The deadline for both companies and individuals is October 30, 2025.
Congressional budget officials estimated it could cost the government $756 million in 2021 to buy back all the guns at fair market value.
The controversial program has been criticised by the opposition Conservative Party. Gun advocate And more Gun control groups.
In a statement to CTVNews.ca, a spokesperson for Public Safety Canada said work on the program is “progressing well” and that more information about the operational phase will be released in the second half of 2024.
“The Government of Canada continues to work with various stakeholders and service providers to ensure a safe, efficient and cost-effective program,” a public safety spokesperson said. “Once the program is launched, firearms businesses and individuals in possession of affected firearms or devices will have the option to receive compensation and return the firearms or devices, have the firearms disabled at government expense, or obtain a valid export license and export the firearm.”
