Liberals' secretive firearms buyback program bleeds millions, keeps contractors hidden
Parliamentary answers reveal the Liberals’ buyback has already cost taxpayers $13 million for 12,000 banned guns and 14,000 parts — plus $250 per firearm in handling fees that amount to a taxpayer-funded sweetener.
The so-called “assault-style firearms compensation program” is shaping up to be exactly what gun owners warned it would be: expensive, secretive, and ineffective.
Two newly tabled Order Paper responses reveal just how much Ottawa has already shelled out — and how little transparency Canadians are getting in return.
According to Parliamentary Secretary Jacques Ramsay, as of July 3rd more than $13 million has been paid out to businesses that surrendered over 12,000 prohibited firearms and 14,000 parts. Each firearm also triggered a $250 “administrative” bonus for packaging and storage — essentially a taxpayer-funded handling fee to sweeten the pot.
But when Conservative MPs pressed for details on how ordinary hunters and sport shooters will be treated, the Liberals had no answers. There’s still no appeal process for unfairly low compensation offers, and the program for individual gun owners hasn’t even launched. In other words, Ottawa cut a cheque to gun shops first, and left law-abiding Canadians in limbo.
Even more troubling is the secrecy. MPs asked where confiscated firearms are being collected, stored, and destroyed. The Liberals flat-out refused to name sites or contractors, citing “security reasons.”
Ottawa has yet to deliver confiscated firearms from the federal "buyback" program to Ukraine, despite vowing to do so late last year.
— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) June 13, 2025
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What we do know is that in September 2024, Public Services and Procurement Canada quietly awarded a $9.04-million contract to an undisclosed company to handle collection, storage, transport, and destruction. The Liberals won’t say who got the contract, or whether Canadian firearms manufacturer Colt Canada is involved.
Meanwhile, reports point to a site operating in Kitchener, Ontario, but the government refuses to confirm even that.
When asked if Ottawa is verifying what’s actually being surrendered — to prevent fraud, like bulk shipments of cheap magazines — the government claimed items are “validated” at facilities. But no independent audit details were provided.
In 2020, the Trudeau Liberals announced a ban on approximately 1500 popular models of firearms. Since then, crime has ballooned, along with the list of firearms banned.
Sheila Gunn Reid
Chief Reporter
Sheila Gunn Reid is the Alberta Bureau Chief for Rebel News and host of the weekly The Gunn Show with Sheila Gunn Reid. She's a mother of three, conservative activist, and the author of best-selling books including Stop Notley.
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