Trudeau commits $600 million to confiscate our firearms… for Ukraine
The Department of National Defence will begin working with Canadian businesses that have weapons Ukraine ‘needs’ and compensate them with taxpayer dues, likely exceeding billions of dollars.
The despots in Trudeau’s government snuck in additional funding for its “buyback” scheme that many consider unworkable.
Tucked away in the Fall Economic Statement is $597.9 million over three years to confiscate “prohibited firearms” from law-abiding Canadians.
“The government respects and will not infringe upon the rights of lawful gun owners and recognizes the fundamental importance of firearms, such as hunting rifles and shotguns, to the way of life for many rural Canadians, farmers, and Indigenous hunters,” it reads.
Though Ottawa has yet to confiscate a single firearm, their pledge to Ukraine remains alive and well.
Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc announces 324 "assault-style firearms" have been added Canada's banned firearms list.
— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) December 5, 2024
"These firearms can no longer be legally used, sold or imported ... and can only be transferred or transported under extremely limited circumstances." pic.twitter.com/pYqTtEeR9o
The Department of National Defence (DND) will begin working with Canadian businesses that have weapons Ukraine needs and compensate them with taxpayer dues.
According to the Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights (CCFR), Ottawa will first target retailers who’ve incurred costly storage and insurance bills for inventory they can’t sell.
“They’re an easy first target, and the Liberals will tout it as ‘progress,’” Tracey Wilson, CCFR vice president of public relations, told True North. She called the idea “ridiculous” and “entirely performative,” emphasizing that sporting rifles are not weapons of war.
“No military in the world uses semi-auto, 5-round plinkers in battle. Not to mention you can’t export these guns without approval from the countries of origin, most of whom have weapons contracts with Ukraine.”
On December 5, Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc added 324 additional makes and models to the federal list of prohibited guns. Phase one of the gun “buyback” program is now underway, he told reporters then.
Defence Minister Bill Blair explains how the Liberals' gun buyback could see Canadians' firearms sent to Ukraine.
— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) December 5, 2024
"Every bit of assistance we can offer to the Ukrainians is one step towards their victory," he adds. pic.twitter.com/EZBrVVQoy9
Minister LeBlanc previously deferred compliance with “buyback” regulations until December 1, 2025 for law-abiding firearms owners. “This means these firearms can no longer be legally used, sold or imported in Canada and can only be transferred or transported under extremely limited circumstances,” he said.
Cabinet in 2020 proposed mandatory buyback of some 200,000 firearms it considered “assault-style.” The Order in Council (OIC) banned over 1,500 gun models.
The feds tabled a mandatory confiscation scheme the following year. Bill C-21, An Act to amend certain Acts and to make certain consequential amendments (firearms), will come into effect no later than January 2025.
Wilson said the program, if carried out to completion, will take away more than 650,000 guns from hundreds of thousands of law-abiding taxpayers.
“The Liberals continue to use legal firearms owners and businesses as a punching bag for political gain,” she remarked. “They’ve learned absolutely nothing from their tanking polling despite the desperate channel changer of more gun control.”
Following several setbacks, Ottawa resumed its gun 'buyback' scheme in April. However, the federal government may have hit another snag as cost estimates procured by the government and industry vary considerably.
— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) June 13, 2023
MORE: https://t.co/9T8HKP8fiz pic.twitter.com/uYPKaSle3G
That said, Wilson firmly believes Ottawa still isn’t serious about confiscating firearms, citing total costs could exceed billions of dollars a year. “$200M a year indicates they are allocating a trickle of what would be really necessary to carry out a full confiscation.”
A 2021 report by the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) put the compensation cost of the federal gun grab as high as $756 million. Meanwhile, industry estimates appear more accurate.
Simon Fraser University Professor Gary Mauser claimed confiscation costs could surmise another $1 billion in addition to the $756 million estimate, as the 2021 report could not determine how many firearms Canadians would actually surrender.
“The truth is [...] the government doesn’t know how to collect the newly banned guns," he said, noting Justice Canada could not justify the $1.8 billion figure. Compensation costs could range from $1.6 billion to $5 billion, totalling $6.756 billion to operate the “buyback” scheme.
Alex Dhaliwal
Calgary Based Journalist
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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