‘Zero evidence’ available to support federal gun grab, taxpayer group says

Canadian Taxpayers Federation has called on Ottawa to scrap the contentious program

Published May 12, 2026  •  2 minute read

Firearms seized by Halton cops. Photo by Halton police handout

OTTAWA — Access-to-information requests filed by a Canadian taxpayer watchdog group suggest the federal government doesn’t have any data on how its ongoing gun grab will impact public safety.

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On Tuesday, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation called on Ottawa to scrap the contentious program, saying their findings back up oft-repeated claims that the gun grab will do little to stop violent crime.

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“Ottawa is spending hundreds of millions of taxpayers’ dollars on this gun grab and the government can’t point to a single study or shred of proof showing it will actually make Canadians safer,” the federation’s Prairie director Gage Haubrich told the Toronto Sun.

“It’s ludicrous that the feds are making taxpayers pay for a program that looks like it has zero evidence behind it.”

‘No information’ exists on search request

In an April 14 response to an access-to-information request asking for “all analysis from the department on the efficacy of the assault-style firearms compensation program and its effect on crime rates/public safety,” the reply from Canada’s Office of the Information Commissioner said their searches came up empty. 

“After a thorough search, no information related to your request exists within Public Safety Canada,” the reply said.

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As the federal government and gun control activists hail the gun grab as a means to improve public safety by confiscating private property from licensed firearm owners, police services have long told the government that legal gun owners aren’t the problem.

Experts, academics and even Canada’s police chiefs have testified in front of committees that the majority of crime guns — many that are already prohibited for legal sale under Canadian gun laws — are smuggled into Canada from the United States.

Last week, New York State Police pulled over a Ford Explorer containing three men they said were attempting to smuggle 89 firearms — including numerous that were reported stolen — from the U.S. into Canada.

The three suspects, reportedly from Hamilton, remained in custody in Westchester County.

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Canada’s current effort to confiscate weapons was introduced in response to the April 2020 Nova Scotia attacks, where a 51-year-old gunman used firearms smuggled into Canada from the U.S. to kill 22 people.

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That prompted the Justin Trudeau Liberals to enact a May 2020 order-in-council banning the sale, transportation or use of so-called “assault-style” firearms.

In 2022, the Liberals quietly tabled two amendments to Bill C-21 representing sweeping changes that would have outlawed legal rifles used daily by hunters and sport shooters.

The Liberals withdrew those amendments after massive blowback from hunters, sports shooters and First Nations, a move described by the opposition Tories as a “humiliating climb-down” for the prime minister.

Police forces across the country — including several of its very largest —  have officially declined to take part in the gun grab, as have all provincial governments aside from Quebec and B.C.

“Real law-enforcement experts have been saying this from the beginning: It’s time for Ottawa to finally listen and scrap this program that Ottawa itself knows won’t work.” Haubrich said.

“Taxpayers can’t afford another government program that won’t meet its goals.” 

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