An Ontario Provincial Police vehicle seen in June 2021. (lemonac/CC BY 2.0)
Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree says the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) has refused to participate in the Liberal government’s gun buyback program.
“The OPP has indicated that they will not participate directly,” Anandasangaree told reporters ahead of a caucus meeting on Sept. 17. “As you know, they represent 26 percent of the overall policing in Ontario. This doesn’t mean that we can’t continue with the gun buyback program.”
Despite the OPP refusing to participate, the minister says he remains confident that the government will have a “robust” ability to collect guns in Ontario via collection facilities.
“More information will be forthcoming as we announce the program,” Anandasangaree said. “I’m very confident that we will have collection facilities available in Ontario.”
Although the OPP has said it won’t participate in collecting guns from Ontario residents as part of the buyback program, the minister says other police forces in Ontario have agreed to participate in the program.
“We will have police jurisdiction. Many of them are signed on, so I’m very confident that we will have a robust ability to collect guns in Ontario.”
Both the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan have instructed their police of jurisdiction to not take part in the gun buyback program.
Municipal Police Forces
Meanwhile, the Barrie Police Service says it does not currently intend to participate in the buyback program.
“The Barrie Police Service has no current plans to participate in the federal government’s upcoming gun buyback program and have had no conversations about participating,” a spokesperson told The Epoch Times in a Sept. 18 email.
The Toronto Police Service (TPS) didn’t say whether it intends to participate and directed The Epoch Times to contact Public Safety Canada about how the program will be implemented.
“We remain focused on apprehending criminals who use illegal firearms, and we continue to collaborate with our law enforcement partners to address the flow of illegal firearms coming across the border,” a TPS spokesperson told The Epoch Times on Sept. 18.
The Durham Regional Police Service (DRPS) told The Epoch Times that it hasn’t been informed of the program details, nor has it “been afforded an opportunity to ask questions.” The police force says it will continue to monitor the situation and establish a position by working with the Police Service Board.
The Hamilton Police Service (HPS) says it spoke with then-Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino in 2023 about the possibility of participating in the federal gun buyback program, but hasn’t had any further discussions with the government about how the program might be implemented locally.
“The scale of such a program would require careful planning, clear coordination, and effective communication with resources and funding,” HPS Chief Frank Bergen told The Epoch Times on Sept. 18. “At this time, no structured framework or direction has been provided to Hamilton Police.”
The Epoch Times also reached out to Public Safety Canada for comment, as well as Peel, Halton, York, and Ottawa police, but did not hear back by publication time.
‘Follow Through’
When asked why the Liberal government is sticking with the gun buyback program, Anandasangaree told reporters on Sept. 17 the government will “follow through” on its commitment to the program, as it was part of the Liberal platform and was echoed in the throne speech in May.
In August, Anandasangaree said the gun buyback program of more than 2,000 newly banned firearms would be completed by the end of next year at the latest. He confirmed that the amnesty deadline for gun owners to sell back any banned firearms, which had been set to expire in October this year, would be pushed back.
Around 1,500 makes and models of firearms were first banned under the Trudeau government after a mass shooting in Nova Scotia in 2020, which was committed by a man using stolen and smuggled weapons. The list of prohibited firearms was expanded to more than 2,000 makes and models in March of this year.
The Parliamentary Budget Officer estimated in June 2021 that the gun buyback would cost up to $756 million, while the Fraser Institute said in an October 2024 study that it could climb as high as $6 billion.
Anandasangaree has said firearm owners will be given fair compensation for turning in their firearms. The Liberal government has said the measure is necessary to tackle gun violence and crime. However, the Conservatives and provinces such as Alberta and Saskatchewan have criticized the program.
Several police departments have stated in the past that they don’t have the resources to carry out the program. In addition, the National Police Federation union, which represents RCMP members, said focusing on collecting firearms from legal gun owners would divert personnel, resources, and funding away from addressing criminal use of illegal firearms.
Anandasangaree said all provinces and police departments are expected to comply with the program, and those who don’t allow the program to be implemented are “doing their people a disservice.”
The Conservatives have criticized the government’s new list of banned firearms and the gun buyback program, saying that resources should instead be focused on fighting crime and the use of gun by criminals.
“Stand with law-abiding people and stop the gun grab,” Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said.
Paul Rowan Brian contributed to this report.