The Trudeau government is losing a key ally in its efforts to take hundreds of thousands of military-style firearms out of circulation, jeopardizing one of the top items in its public security agenda.
Launched in 2020, the federal government’s plan to buy back and destroy firearms it has banned — such as AR-15s — has long been vilified by firearms industry groups and the Conservative Party of Canada.
But the project is now coming under friendly fire from PolyRemembers, a gun-control group that is threatening to withdraw its support for the buyback program unless Ottawa broadens its scope to include military-style firearms that remain legal.
The group warns that owners of banned firearms will be able to use their federal compensation cheques to obtain other guns that offer many of the same characteristics and mechanical functions as the banned firearms.
“It’s a waste of Canadians’ money. We are not reducing the risk level, we are just replacing the makes and models,” said PolyRemembers spokesperson Nathalie Provost.
The cost of the program has not yet been made public but it’s expected to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
The current version of the program is “a sieve,” said Provost, who survived numerous bullet wounds in the massacre that took the lives of 14 women at the Polytechnique engineering school in Montreal nearly 35 years ago.
“If our safety is important to politicians, we have to do this buyback program. But if we do it, we have to do it efficiently, not just for appearances. And right now, it’s just for appearances,” she said.
The group points out that other semi-automatic, military-style firearms — such as the Crypto made by Crusader Arms and the Kodiak Defence WK180-C semi-automatic rifle — remain legal in Canada.
The criticism comes as Ottawa prepares to recover firearms that were banned in 2020 and that retailers have been forced to keep in their inventory.
The second phase of the program — which will aim to recover hundreds of thousands of firearms currently in the hands of individual owners — is planned for spring 2025.
In both cases, the government buyback will target 1,500 firearm models and components. It’s a complex project, especially since Canada Post refused to participate earlier this year, citing safety concerns.
Much of the work will be overseen by the RCMP but Ottawa says it’s banking on support from provincial police forces in Ontario and Quebec.
Despite PolyRemembers’ opposition, the federal government is refusing to change its plans just prior to the launch of the program, which looks to recover and dispose of more than 150,000 prohibited firearms and components across the country.
“We have no intention of modifying the list at this point. Our efforts are focused on successfully launching the program. That is the most concrete way to reinforce public safety in Canada and respect the objectives that we have set,” said Jean-Sébastien Comeau, spokesperson for Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc.
One expert said he wonders whether the program can survive rejection by a prominent gun control group, especially now that the Liberal minority government has lost the formal support of the NDP.
“All signs are negative in terms of the implementation of a program that is so complex and relies on the collaboration of provincial governments,” said Frédéric Boily, professor of political science at the University of Alberta.
The firearms industry and PolyRemembers have clashed over gun control measures for decades, but they now agree on the gaps in the buyback program.
Wes Winkel, president of the Canadian Sporting Arms and Ammunition Association (CSAAA), said firearms owners can still buy many models of firearms that are similar to the ones that have been banned.
“Taxpayers should be so upset at this process because you’re going to be taking money from taxpayers, buying and destroying firearms that are perfectly good. And those consumers that are licensed are going to take that same funds, turn around and buy the identical firearm with a different brand, make and model,” said Winkel, who is also president of Ellwood Epps Sporting Goods in Orillia, Ont.
Winkel argued the government has adopted a nonsensical policy that is not based on an objective definition of a firearm’s capabilities. He compared the buyback plan to an attempt to reduce speeding by banning Corvettes.
“Mustangs and Trans Ams and Ferraris are all still in circulation. Anybody that understands cars would say this makes no sense whatsoever,” he said.
Tony Bernardo, president of the Canadian Shooting Sports Federation, said he believes the government has banned firearms based on “what they look like” and accuses groups like PolyRemembers of seeking to ban firearms because they are “black and ugly.”
“If you ban all the AR-15s, what did you actually accomplish?” he said. “Nothing was accomplished, it’s a dumb idea. Realistically, the Liberals probably know it’s a dumb idea too. But it sells votes.”
The firearms lobby predicts the buyback program will fail because of the strong opposition of both firearms owners and the governments of Saskatchewan and Alberta.
Many members of the firearms community are banking on a Conservative victory in the next federal election. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has promised to reverse what he’s called a “gun grab.”
In early 2021, the families of the Polytechnique victims informed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that he would not be welcome at activities commemorating the tragedy that year because the buyback program was still voluntary at that point.
In response, the Liberals strengthened their buyback program to make it mandatory.
Provost is now warning the Trudeau government that its participation in events marking the 35th anniversary of the Polytechnique massacre is once again in doubt. No decision has been made, she said, adding it will be made by the broader community of victims’ families and survivors.
“How can we commemorate with the prime minister, and with Minister LeBlanc, if he didn’t fulfil his promises?” she said.
Provost said the fight continues on behalf of all those who were scarred by the events at Polytechnique and who are demanding an end to assault firearms in Canada.
“It’s not a time for ideas, it’s not a time for promises. It’s time for actions and decisions,” she said.