PolySeSouvient demands 'timely delivery' on firearm confiscation
PolySeSouvient, a Canadian gun control lobby, urged Prime Minister Mark Carney to prioritize the 'timely delivery' of firearm confiscation, in a recent letter.
A leading gun control organization is pressing Prime Minister Mark Carney to quickly enact the Liberal Party's firearm election commitments, citing past delays in fulfilling similar pledges.
PolySeSouvient urged Carney to ensure the next public safety minister prioritizes the "timely delivery" of planned gun control reforms, particularly the firearm "buyback" program.
PolySeSouvient, comprised of students and graduates of Montreal's École Polytechnique where 14 women were killed in 1989, advocates for gun control.
A 2023 Public Safety report indicated that most legal gun owners consider the federal policy to confiscate firearms a wasteful measure that fails to address illicit gun crime, which they believe is primarily committed by gangs and organized crime, not themselves.
The report also indicated declining willingness among owners of prohibited firearms to participate in a "buyback" program.
Despite significant opposition and logistical hurdles causing missed targets, the Liberal government is moving forward with phase one of the confiscation program, reported the Canadian Press.
Phase one, targeting businesses, will see confiscation this fall. Canada Post can now transport and store prohibited firearms.
During the recent election, PolySeSouvient stated that Carney's Liberals were the most likely to introduce further measures against firearm violence.
Carney vowed to enact a "buyback" program for prohibited firearms and have the RCMP, not the gun industry, classify new models. His platform also included automatic licence revocation for violent offenders, enhanced tracking of crime guns, and stricter firearm licensing oversight.
The Conservatives vowed to repeal Liberal gun control measures they view as targeting law-abiding hunters and sport shooters.
Government officials say approximately 19,000 models of non-restricted firearms for hunting and sport shooting are still available in Canada.
PolySeSouvient believes Carney has the necessary tools for Canadian gun control expectations and only needs a competent minister with a clear mandate, such as the newly appointed Gary Anandasangaree. The group urges Carney to avoid the weakening of gun control seen in the last decade through neglect or poor regulations.
In early 2021, families of the Polytechnique victims uninvited Prime Minister Justin Trudeau from future commemorations after he proposed a voluntary "buyback" program.
"How can we commemorate with the prime minister, and with Minister LeBlanc, if he didn't fulfill his promises?" then-spokesperson Nathalie Provost told CBC News. "It's not a time for promises. It's time for actions and decisions."
In late 2023, the federal government implemented a mandatory gun confiscation program, which passed the Senate without changes (60-24) and received royal assent on December 15.
So far, it has cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars without collecting any guns. Provost called it a waste of taxpayer money.
Provost now serves as Liberal MP for Châteauguay—Les Jardins-de-Napierville and was appointed as one of 10 Secretaries of State Tuesday morning.
PolySeSouvint urged the MP and her government to provide early "buyback" incentives, stakeholder input, an immediate SKS rifle classification review considering safety and Indigenous rights, and the closure of all magazine capacity loopholes.
Upon the dissolution of Parliament in March, the Liberals continued implementing already-approved gun control legislation, including measures to address firearm-related domestic violence.
Cabinet in 2020 banned over 1,500 rifle and shotgun models, a number that increased to 2,500 last December. Estimates of affected firearms ranged from 110,161 to 518,000, according to Blacklock’s.
PolySeSouvient fears firearm owners will buy similar models with compensation funds. The Parliamentary Budget Officer estimates the "buyback" program will cost taxpayers over $750 million, while other estimates reach several billion.
The Liberal government recently paid Winnipeg ($2.8 million) and Cape Breton ($103,013) police to confiscate legal firearms through March 2026, according to federal documents obtained by the GunBlog.
They also allocated $10.7 million to 117 for-profit organizations for confiscation efforts.
The move diverts resources from fighting violent crime, according to the blog.
Former Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc delayed the mandatory gun "buyback" program from its original October 2023 launch to October 30, 2025, with further delays possible.
Alex Dhaliwal
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Alex Dhaliwal is a Political Science graduate from the University of Calgary. He has actively written on relevant Canadian issues with several prominent interviews under his belt.
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COMMENTS
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Bernhard Jatzeck commented 2025-05-13 21:04:01 -0400I used to think that “gun control” was a matter of public safety. The High River gun grab changed my mind. It’s an issue of freedom and responsibility. The government wants to deprive us of the former and imposing the latter.
It’s totalitarianism by any other name. -
Bruce Atchison commented 2025-05-13 19:27:33 -0400Such utterly stupid people! It’s criminals, not guns, who must be banished to prisons. And bring back the death penalty for obvious murderers. It deters reoffending by 100%.
