No banned firearms have been sent to Ukraine, despite government promise

3 week_ago 19

Politics

A connection from Public Safety Canada says much than 12,000 guns person been bought backmost from businesses successful the archetypal signifier of the program. But the national section says it is inactive moving to place which, if any, volition spell to Ukraine.

Ministers said immoderate guns collected successful buyback programme would spell to Ukraine's warfare effort

Kate McKenna · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 11, 2025 2:06 PM EDT | Last Updated: 6 hours ago

The national authorities has not yet made bully connected its committedness to nonstop banned guns collected done the national buyback programme to Ukraine.

So far, nary firearms person been donated to the warfare effort, contempt a pledge made by the Trudeau authorities successful December.

One time earlier the 35th day of the Polytechnique massacre, hundreds of models were added to the national government's database of banned firearms.

Federal ministers astatine the aforesaid clip made a committedness to donate a information of the firearms collected done the government's archetypal signifier of its firearm buyback programme to Ukraine, successful a bid to enactment its combat against the Russian invasion.

The announcement was made by past defence curate Bill Blair. He was joined by erstwhile nationalist services curate Jean-Yves Duclos and erstwhile nationalist information curate Dominic LeBlanc. Of the three, lone LeBlanc remains successful cabinet.

Some experts expressed concerns astir this plan, informing it seemed haphazard and intended to make enactment for the Trudeau government's arguable weapon policies.

WATCH | From December 2024: Critics measurement successful connected buyback changes:

Late additions to weapon buyback programme volition balloon costs, critics say

The national authorities has made last-minute additions of weapon parts to its assault-weapon buyback programme specified arsenic magazines, bolts, and grips. Critics accidental adding the wide scope of components volition lone adhd to the program’s ballooning cost.

More than six months later, that hasn't happened. A connection from Public Safety Canada says much than 12,000 guns person been bought backmost from businesses successful the archetypal signifier of the program, but said it is inactive moving to place which, if any, volition spell to Ukraine.

"The Government of Canada continues to enactment with businesses to place prohibited firearms successful their inventory of NATO calibre that could beryllium donated to Ukraine," said Max Watson, a spokesperson for Public Safety Canada, successful a statement.

In December, Blair said the authorities had been moving with Ukraine since October to spot whether immoderate of the banned firearms could beryllium utilized successful the war.

"Every spot of assistance we tin connection to the Ukrainians is 1 measurement towards their triumph and a worthwhile concern of our corporate clip and efforts," helium said astatine the time.

Days aft the announcement, the section confirmed that 23 makes and models of "assault-style firearms" were identified to beryllium sent to Ukraine by the country's Defence Ministry.

"I'm not definite anyone, astatine immoderate point, believed that the Canadian authorities was going to wage to confiscate sporting rifles from civilians and nonstop them to a warfare portion successful Eastern Europe," said Rod Giltaca, the CEO of the Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights, successful a statement.

"In reality, aft implicit 5 years, they haven't managed to rotation retired their buyback successful the archetypal place."

Buyback delayed for years

The Trudeau authorities had sought to instrumentality its buyback programme for definite "assault-style" firearms since they were banned by the national authorities successful May 2020.

Ottawa initially banned the merchantability of immoderate 1,500 guns, aboriginal expanding the database to much than 2,000 makes and models.

Although the programme has been marred by delays, the authorities began the archetypal signifier of the buyback — which includes buying the remaining banal of prohibited firearms from eligible businesses — successful November 2024.

It compensates businesses for the worth of the gun, past destroys it — but for the firearms that person been designated to beryllium sent to Ukraine.

A buyback programme for individuals who legally owned the now-prohibited guns is acceptable to statesman aboriginal this year. While campaigning for election, Prime Minister Mark Carney promised to "reinvigorate the implementation of an businesslike gun-buyback programme for assault-style firearms."

The buyback program has the enactment of the weapon power question but faces stiff absorption from hunters and shooters, who accidental it unfairly targets lawful weapon owners.

Giltaca says firearm owners are waiting to spot whether Carney's weapon policies disagree from the Trudeau government.

"I'm definite determination are galore that are hoping that the adjacent 4 years volition carnivore small resemblance to the past 10.… Licensed weapon owners would bask a reprieve from being blamed for the Liberals' failures connected nationalist safety," helium said.