No banned firearms have been sent to Ukraine, despite government promise

The federal government has not yet made good on its commitment to send banned guns collected through the federal buyback program to Ukraine.

So far, no firearms have been donated to the war effort, despite a pledge made by the Trudeau government in December.

One day before the 35th anniversary of the Polytechnique massacre, hundreds of models were added to the federal government’s list of banned firearms.

Federal ministers at the same time made a commitment to donate a portion of the firearms collected through the government’s first phase of its firearm buyback program to Ukraine, in a bid to support its fight against the Russian invasion.  

The announcement was made by then defence minister Bill Blair. He was joined by former public services minister Jean-Yves Duclos and former public safety minister Dominic LeBlanc. Of the three, only LeBlanc remains in cabinet.

Some experts expressed concerns about this plan, warning it seemed haphazard and intended to generate support for the Trudeau government’s controversial gun policies.

More than six months later, that hasn’t happened. A statement from Public Safety Canada says more than 12,000 guns have been bought back from businesses in the first phase of the program, but said it is still working to identify which, if any, will go to Ukraine.

“The Government of Canada continues to work with businesses to identify prohibited firearms in their inventory of NATO calibre that could be donated to Ukraine,” said Max Watson, a spokesperson for Public Safety Canada, in a statement. 

In December, Blair said the government had been working with Ukraine since October to see whether any of the banned firearms could be used in the war.

“Every bit of assistance we can offer to the Ukrainians is one step towards their victory and a worthwhile investment of our collective time and efforts,” he said at the time.

Days after the announcement, the department confirmed that 23 makes and models of “assault-style firearms” were identified to be sent to Ukraine by the country’s Defence Ministry.

“I’m not sure anyone, at any point, believed that the Canadian government was going to pay to confiscate sporting rifles from civilians and send them to a war zone in Eastern Europe,” said Rod Giltaca, the CEO of the Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights, in a statement.

“In reality, after over five years, they haven’t managed to roll out their buyback in the first place.”

Buyback delayed for years

The Trudeau government had sought to implement its buyback program for certain “assault-style” firearms since they were banned by the federal government in May 2020. 

Ottawa initially banned the sale of some 1,500 guns, later expanding the list to more than 2,000 makes and models.

Although the program has been marred by delays, the government began the first phase of the buyback — which includes buying the remaining stock of prohibited firearms from eligible businesses — in November 2024. 

It compensates businesses for the value of the gun, then destroys it — except for the firearms that have been designated to be sent to Ukraine.

A buyback program for individuals who legally owned the now-prohibited guns is set to begin later this year. While campaigning for election, Prime Minister Mark Carney promised to “reinvigorate the implementation of an efficient gun-buyback program for assault-style firearms.”

The buyback plan has the support of the gun control movement but faces stiff opposition from hunters and shooters, who say it unfairly targets lawful gun owners.

Giltaca says firearm owners are waiting to see whether Carney’s gun policies differ from the Trudeau government.

“I’m sure there are many that are hoping that the next four years will bear little resemblance to the last 10.… Licensed gun owners would enjoy a reprieve from being blamed for the Liberals’ failures on public safety,” he said.