Trudeau promises more gun control and goes on the attack against Scheer

RCMP faces $98M cut as Liberals push ahead with expensive gun grab​

The Liberal government is barrelling ahead with a multi-billion-dollar firearms confiscation program that critics argue will be ineffective in fighting crime while slashing the RCMP’s budget by $98m.​


Tracy Wilson, with the Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights (CCFR), called the contrast “stunning.”

“The Liberals slash RCMP budget while at the same time pushing forward with spending billions on a gun grab exclusively against licensed owners and their legally acquired firearms,” Wilson said.

An internal email from RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme confirmed the force must find two per cent in savings as part of the federal government’s broader spending reduction plan.


The cuts, which will affect current activities and programs, are expected to be developed in the coming weeks and presented in the 2026-27 estimates.

The decision comes as Ottawa doubles down on its so-called ‘firearms buyback’ program, first launched in 2020 through a Cabinet order. Over 5 years since the Liberal’s first ban announcement, the firearms in question remain with their licensed owners, although they are unable to be legally used.

The initiative, which bans more than 2,500 models of previously legal firearms, has been repeatedly delayed and is now scheduled to conclude by the end of 2026. Costs are expected to reach nearly $2 billion.

Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree reaffirmed recently that the forced confiscation program remains a priority for Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government, telling the Toronto Star that enforcement would not be voluntary and owners would receive compensation.

The program has drawn sharp criticism from police on the ground.

Toronto Police Association President Clayton Campbell said the government seizure plan is “a waste of resources,” pointing out that nearly 90 per cent of guns seized in the city originate from the United States, with legal firearms almost never used in crimes.

“I can’t think of a time when a legal gun has been used in a crime in this city, not one,” Campbell said, adding that law enforcement resources would be better spent tackling violent repeat offenders and border smuggling.

He warned the confiscation plan could strain policing capacity if officers were tasked with locating firearms across the country.

“It would be tough. A lot of the time these are unrestricted firearms so we don’t know where they are. It’s really just a waste of resources,” Campbell said.

Despite criticism, Anandasangaree said the government remains committed, arguing the program was a campaign promise Canadians expect to see delivered.

Meanwhile, RCMP members are waiting to learn which programs or services may be restructured or eliminated as part of the $98-million savings plan.

Duheme assured staff that "all decisions will prioritize the health and safety of our members on the frontline and the communities we serve."

 

Smith rejects Carney’s “voluntary” gun ban, says Alberta won’t enforce​

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith responded to Prime Minister Mark Carney’s claim that the Liberal gun confiscation program was “voluntary”, saying that it doesn’t matter either way, as the law will not be enforced in the province.​


The response came when talking with Ryan Jespersen on Friday morning.

“The federal government has jurisdiction over the Criminal Code, but the provinces have the power over policing and administration of justice. And that means we get to decide our policing priorities,” said Smith. “Our policing priorities are not to be targeting those who purchase their guns legally.”

She explained that non-enforcement of federal laws has been common in the past, seen nationwide with cannabis laws before it was legalized, British Columbia’s non-enforcement of hard drugs, and more.

“This is the power the provinces have,” said Smith. “There’s no appetite in my government to assist in targeting legal gun owners.”


Smith is doubling down after she previously vowed to use every power available to her provincial government to fight the Liberals’ gun confiscation scheme.

Her comments followed Carney, while speaking on the same podcast, calling the Liberals’ gun confiscation program “voluntary” for the first time since the program was introduced in 2020.

Adding to the confusion, Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree doubled down on the “voluntary” comments in an exclusive interview with True North.

Smith explained that the focus of law enforcement can be better spent elsewhere.

“People want their law enforcement to focus on bad guys, and we’ve got a lot of bad guys out there,” she said. “We’ve got organized crime, fentanyl labs. We’ve got gangs. We’ve got human traffickers. We don’t want police resources going and knocking on people’s doors, because they didn’t voluntarily decide to give up their guns for payment, as the Prime Minister puts it.”

The misleadingly branded ‘buy back’ has historically been presented to Canadians as mandatory. The program, introduced via Cabinet decree in 2020, eventually banned over 2,500 models of firearms, with costs expected to reach nearly $2 billion. However, the federal government has continuously extended the amnesty period as it has struggled to implement the program.

To date, after five years, the banned guns remain in the possession of their licensed owners who legally purchased the firearms.

CEO of the Canadian Coalition for Firearms Rights, Rod Giltaca, told True North after Carney’s comments that he doubts Ottawa has shifted to a voluntary approach.

“I think it’s more likely Carney has no idea what this program is in the first place, nor what the program is capable or incapable of achieving,” he said. “I don’t believe it will be optional. Maybe they’ll say ‘Keep your firearms, don’t get paid for them, but you’ll have to deactivate them (weld them shut)’ and therefore make them useless. Not really ‘optional.’”

Carney also claimed the ban does not affect hunting rifles or sporting firearms, and said the ban focuses only on assault rifles.

Giltaca said this characterization was false.

“There were no ‘assault weapons’ banned since May 1, 2020. Every one of these firearms were for hunting and or sport shooting. That’s why they were legal in the first place,” said Giltaca. “The lies of these people are outrageous.”

The penalty for illegal possession of a prohibited firearm is up to five years in jail.

The Vice President of Public Relations for the CCFR, Tracey Wilson, previously told True North that the program was not as the Liberals are now presenting it.

“So it’s not a ‘voluntary’ program, or ‘buy back’ as the Liberals and some in the media have happily called it. It is confiscation and seizure, under threat of imprisonment,” she said. “Carney has the gall to call it an ‘opportunity’ for licensed, law-abiding firearms owners to turn in their legally-purchased property?”

True North has asked Public Safety Canada what the consequences for noncompliance of the “voluntary” program will be for Canadians, but has not received a reply.

 
From the Canadian Taxpayer Association:

Someone get Carney a dictionary: He doesn’t know what “voluntary” means


Prime Minister Mark Carney thinks the government confiscating your property is “voluntary.”

Are you kidding us!?

Here’s the skinny on the government’s gun ban and confiscation scheme:

The Trudeau Liberals announced they would ban certain guns in 2019, then take those guns from law-abiding Canadian citizens and force taxpayers like you to compensate those law-abiding Canadians after the government steals their property.

Here’s what Carney said this week about the confiscation scheme:

“This is not about confiscation. This is about voluntary return of firearms for compensation of these firearms ... We’re not confiscating guns. People aren't going around confiscating guns. Anyone who says that, that is a mischaracterization. What it is is an opportunity for Canadians to return guns for compensation.”

The federal public safety minister followed up on Carney’s remarks by claiming this confiscation scheme has “always been voluntary.”

Apparently, Carney doesn’t know what voluntary means.

He acts like he wants to give you a cheque in exchange for your compliance — oops, we mean gun.

But what he’s really doing is adding guns to a curated list of banned firearms crafted by Ottawa bureaucrats and offering consolation prizes. With your own money.

As a bitter, rotten, cherry on top, if people don’t obey his orders and hand over the gun legally used for sport shooting, the government can toss you in jail.

The penalty for illegal possession of a prohibited firearm under the Criminal Code is up to five years.

At minimum, the Carney government owes you clarification.

Are firearms owners who don't hand over their firearms going to be able to keep them but not sell or transfer them? Will Canadians still be able to use the firearms they don’t turn over to the government?

And remember: this confiscation has all the makings of a huge taxpayer boondoggle that won’t make Canada safe.

When the Liberals first announced this scheme, they estimated the cost to taxpayers would be about $200 million. Internal government documents now show the price tag will likely be closer to $2 billion.

And even that is likely low-balling the costs.

A professor at Simon Fraser University says the cost to taxpayers could reach up to $6.7 billion.

And let’s be real for a second…

Criminals aren’t going to show up to government offices with their illegal guns.

This gun grab only targets legal-abiding Canadians. This is a point stressed by the National Police Federation.

The NPF said the federal gun grab won’t address “current and emerging themes or urgent threats to public safety,” such as criminal activity, gang violence or the flow of illegal guns across the border.

Not only will the buyback be ineffective, but it could also make things worse.

“It diverts extremely important personnel, resources, and funding away from addressing the more immediate and growing threat of criminal use of illegal firearms,” the NPF said.

 

OPP will not participate in federal gun buyback program, minister says​

The force’s refusal comes after months of negotiations and throws a wrench in Ottawa’s plan.

OTTAWA—The Ontario Provincial Police has refused to participate in the Carney government’s gun buyback program, Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said Wednesday, as he vowed the Liberals will still have a “robust” ability to complete the program with municipal police participation and “collection facilities” across Ontario.

The OPP’s refusal comes after months of negotiations and may throw a wrench in Ottawa’s long-delayed plans to buy back thousands of weapons it’s banned since 2020 following a massacre in Nova Scotia that killed 22 people. It renews questions about the feasibility of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s plan weeks before it is set to begin.

“More information will be forthcoming as we announce the program,” Anandasangaree said as he headed into a Liberal caucus meeting. “I’m very confident that we will have collection facilities available in Ontario.”

“We will have police of jurisdiction — many of them have already signed on, so I’m very confident that we will have a robust ability to collect guns in Ontario,” he added. His office, however, would not provide further details or specifics on what police forces have agreed to participate.

With the provincial force also responsible for more than a quarter of the policing in Ontario, it means the federal government will have to reach agreements with municipal police forces such as Toronto Police, Peel Police and others, while finding a solution to cover areas without a local force.

The Barrie police said in a statement to the Star it had no “current plans” to participate and has had no conversations about doing so. The Hamilton police said “no structured framework or direction” had been provided and no talks have been held since 2023. Toronto police referred the Star to the federal government when asked if they are in any discussions, while police forces in the regions of Peel, York, Halton, Durham and the City of Ottawa did not respond Wednesday afternoon.

“We remain focused on apprehending criminals who use illegal firearms, and we continue to collaborate with our law enforcement partners to address the flow of illegal firearms coming across the border,” said a spokesperson for the Toronto Police Service.

Advocates have raised concerns about the future of the plan that has been a central part of several Liberal party election platforms. Anandasangaree, however, told the Star this summer the program was in the “final stages” of design and will be completed “no later” than the end of 2026. He also confirmed an October 2025 amnesty deadline would have to be pushed back.

But in the face of fierce opposition and questions about the cost of the program — Ottawa’s latest estimates put it at nearly $750 million — the Carney government has recently been describing the plan as “voluntary” while also warning hesitant police forces and provinces that they would be doing their citizens a disservice.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said earlier this month she would not allow police to take banned guns away from their owners while the Saskatchewan government has also added roadblocks to implementing the scheme.

The Doug Ford government, meanwhile, had previously indicated the program was not a priority and it didn’t want provincial funding to pay for it.

In a recent statement, a spokesperson for Solicitor General Michael Kerzner said “Ontario police services do not have the resources to attend residential addresses to confiscate previously lawful but now prohibited firearms from lawful gun owners.”

“Although we will not be participating in this program, Ontario residents will have the opportunity to surrender prohibited firearms at local police stations or register them on the federal portal. The federal government can leverage third party service providers of the RCMP to administer this federal program,” the statement said.

Carney conceded in an interview with media personality Ryan Jespersen that the program would have “different processes in different provinces.”

 
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