Details of compensation plan for owners of banned firearms to be announced today

  • Canadian Press

A restricted gun licence holder holds a AR-15 at his home in Langley, B.C., on Friday, May 1, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

OTTAWA -- Owners of banned firearms can expect to learn more today about federal plans to compensate them for turning in or permanently deactivating their guns.

The Liberal government is slated to announce details of its national buyback program at a briefing in Montreal.

Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree, Quebec Public Security Minister Ian Lafreniere and police representatives are set to take part.

Liberal MP and secretary of state for nature Nathalie Provost, who was shot by a gunman during a 1989 rampage, is also scheduled to be at the announcement.

Since May 2020, Ottawa has outlawed about 2,500 types of guns on the basis they belong only on the battlefield.

Gun control advocates have generally applauded the buyback initiative, while Conservative MPs and some gun owners have called it a wasteful plan that targets law-abiding citizens.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 17, 2026.