Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
Canada’s long-running experiment with compensated gun confiscation is running headfirst into a wall—and this time, it’s coming from inside the country.
According to Canadian media reports highlighted by the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, fully half of Canada’s provinces—along with the Northwest Territories and Yukon—are refusing to participate in the federal government’s much-touted gun “buyback” program.
In short: Ottawa wants provinces to help collect banned firearms, and a growing number of them are saying, no thanks.
CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb shot straight, calling the provincial pushback “long overdue” and describing the buyback for what it actually is: compensated confiscation.
That distinction matters. The Canadian government didn’t previously own these firearms. They were legally purchased, legally possessed, and later banned by bureaucratic decree. Calling the forced surrender of private property a “buyback” may sound softer, but it doesn’t change the reality on the ground.
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Newfoundland and Labrador is the latest province to reject the plan, joining Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, an enormous portion of Canada’s landmass and a significant share of its population. Add in the Northwest Territories and Yukon, and the message becomes hard to ignore: this program isn’t just unpopular, it’s unworkable.
Ottawa reportedly earmarked roughly $250 million for compensation, but critics argue that money would be far better spent targeting actual drivers of crime (drug trafficking, repeat violent offenders, and gang activity) rather than focusing on law-abiding gun owners who aren’t the source of Canada’s rising violence.
There’s also a practical reality that urban policymakers often overlook. In large parts of Canada, firearms aren’t political symbols; they’re tools for survival. Rural and northern communities rely on them for hunting, predator defense, and basic safety. Provinces representing those citizens are now drawing a hard line.
Unlike the United States, Canada lacks a constitutional backstop like the Second Amendment. Even so, provincial resistance shows that political limits still exist when policy crosses into absurdity.
The federal government may try to spin this as a temporary setback, but the trend is clear. When half the country refuses to help enforce a policy, the problem isn’t messaging. It’s the policy itself.
As Gottlieb put it, freedom has a way of spreading once people get a taste of it. And right now, Ottawa is learning that even north of the border, confiscation, no matter how politely packaged, has its limits.
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is a seasoned outdoorsman, lifelong hunter, and the kind of guy who’d rather track whitetails than scroll social media. As an editor for GunsAmerica, he’s got a sharp eye for spotting both solid gear and bad gun laws. Whether he’s deep in the woods or deep in editorial deadlines, Larry brings a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is approach to firearms, hunting, and the great American tradition of self-reliance. If there’s a hot debate on gun rights or the latest in hunting tech, you can bet Larry’s got an opinion—and it’s probably backed up with both facts and field experience.
Experience:
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– Concealed Carry Permit Holder (NYS & AZ) – Trained and licensed to carry in multiple states.
– 2A Journalist – Covering firearms legislation, Second Amendment issues, and gun rights for over a decade.
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