OTTAWA — The federal government has postponed the reopening of a compensation program for retailers holding inventories of firearms that were previously legal but have since been banned. This delay pushes the program's resumption from this fall to an unspecified future date. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Mark Carney's administration is moving forward with a national buyback initiative aimed at individual gun owners by the end of the year.

In September, Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree announced a pilot buyback program for individuals in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. At that time, his department indicated that the second phase of the program for businesses would resume in the coming weeks after being suspended in the spring. Public Safety Canada’s website had also stated that the business program was expected to restart later this fall. However, the government has now retracted that timeline.

Simon Lafortune, a spokesperson for Anandasangaree, stated, "We will be reopening the second round of the business phase of the Assault-Style Firearms Compensation Program. The exact date will be shared soon." Wes Winkel, president of the Canadian Sporting Arms and Ammunition Association, confirmed that there has been an "indefinite delay" from the federal government regarding the program's reopening. Neither Anandasangaree’s office nor the public safety department has provided a reason for the delay.

Lafortune added, "We will continue to work closely with industry stakeholders and law enforcement partners to ensure that the second phase of the business portion of the buyback program runs efficiently and securely. Further updates will be provided as implementation work progresses, and the government thanks Canadian businesses for their continued cooperation and patience as this important initiative moves forward."

Rod Giltaca, CEO of the Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights, expressed frustration over the delay, calling the situation a "mystery." He remarked, "This program has been a disaster for over half a decade."

The Liberal government's efforts to ban what it terms "assault-style" firearms have faced numerous challenges. Former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau initially campaigned on this issue during the 2019 federal election. In May 2020, following a mass shooting in Portapique, Nova Scotia, he announced a ban on approximately 1,500 makes and models of firearms, including the AR-15. Since then, the list of prohibited firearms has expanded, with over 2,500 makes and models now banned in Canada.

The government has also extended an amnesty order that allows owners of banned firearms to possess them without facing criminal charges. This amnesty has been prolonged multiple times, with the latest extension set to last until October 2026.

During the first phase of the compensation program for retailers affected by the 2020 bans, over 12,000 firearms were collected from businesses, resulting in approximately $22 million in compensation. Giltaca noted that the prohibitions have severely impacted many retailers, forcing some to close due to the costs associated with storing prohibited inventory.

Regarding the individual buyback program, the government has not yet released results from the pilot conducted in Cape Breton, which was intended to test the online portal and collection process for a maximum of 200 banned firearms. Reports indicate that between 10 and 22 firearms were collected during the pilot. Cape Breton Police Chief Robert Walsh has not disclosed specific results, stating that it was a federal pilot program.

Anandasangaree mentioned that the government is currently analyzing the pilot's results and confirmed that the technical aspects have been met. He indicated that the national rollout of the program is expected soon. Lafortune stated, "As you know, the pilot’s objective was to ensure that we are fully prepared to launch the Assault-Style Firearms Compensation Program nationally. We will have more to share on the pilot’s results in due course and will be launching the national program before the end of 2025."