Federal government to fund Quebec firearm buyback coordination

The federal government will provide up to $12.4 million to Quebec to cover coordination costs for a buyback of banned firearms, and Ottawa has budgeted more than $700 million for the national program.

The federal government says it will provide up to $12.4 million to Quebec to cover costs of coordinating a buyback of firearms that Ottawa has banned. Since May 2020, the federal government has outlawed about 2,500 types of guns, which it described as battlefield-style weapons rather than for hunters or sport shooters. Ottawa has budgeted more than $700 million for a national buyback program that the government says will offer owners fair compensation. Public Safety Canada has said the buyback will be opened to individual firearms owners across the country in the coming weeks. Key details: - The federal government will provide up to $12.4 million to Quebec to cover coordination costs for the provincial buyback effort. - Ottawa has budgeted more than $700 million for the national buyback program. - Since May 2020, roughly 2,500 types of firearms have been outlawed by the federal government. - Public Safety Canada says the national program will open to individual firearms owners in the coming weeks. - A six-week pilot in Nova Scotia collected and destroyed 25 banned firearms and prompted a brief lessons-learned report. - Quebec Public Security Minister Ian Lafrenière said the province supports the federal program and called it a step toward safer communities. Summary: The announced funding is intended to offset provincial coordination costs as Quebec prepares to participate in the national buyback. A recent pilot in Nova Scotia collected 25 banned firearms and produced a lessons-learned report noting a need for clearer, more timely instructions. Public Safety Canada says the national program will open to individual owners in the coming weeks; specific schedules and procedures are undetermined at this time.