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Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree says the federal government’s gun buyback program will be rolled out across Canada, as a report from a pilot in Nova Scotia suggests low participation.
“I will show our next steps in the program as we roll it out across the country,” Anandasangaree said Sunday afternoon. “But it’s important to say that we will implement the program across Canada.”
A federal government news release marking the start of the pilot in Cape Breton, N.S., said the goal was to “test elements of the program while collecting an initial 200 assault-style firearms.”
Official results of the buyback program are not yet available, but Cape Breton Regional Municipality police commission chair Coun. Glenn Paruch said Earlier this week he heard police had bought back up to 22 illegal firearms.
If that number is correct, it would mean the pilot picked up only a fraction of Ottawa’s target. The project began on October 1 and lasted six weeks, and the results were used to refine the buyback program before rolling it out nationally.
Embattled Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree tells Power & Politics “I am determined to do my job” as Conservatives call for his firing over comments made in a leaked audio recording about the federal gun buyback program. Anandasangaree says comments about rescuing a gun owner who might not comply with the program were made “in jest” and that the program will help decrease gun crime.
When asked by CBC News about the pilot, Anandasangaree said the federal government saw it as a learning opportunity and “corrected some of the glitches that we had initially.”
“We believe the systems are operational and ready to go,” he said.
Paruch did not say whether that number should be considered successful, but supported it.
“Let’s say there is [were] “There are 22 guns here out of 200. Now that we take that number and put it nationally across Canada, we’ll probably get quite a few guns that way,” he said.
On Monday, Cape Breton Regional Police Chief Robert Walsh said he had agreed with Public Safety Canada not to comment on the results as it is a federal government project.
The pilot attracted some opposition. Shortly after the launch, more than 100 people protested outside the Cape Breton Regional Police headquarters to call on Ottawa to remove the ban and buyback program, arguing the federal government is blaming law-abiding citizens.
In September, Anandasangaree found himself in trouble after suggesting in an audio recording that an acquaintance should not worry about being arrested for refusing to surrender a prohibited firearm because municipal police have few resources to devote to such matters.
The minister was also recorded saying the buyback was being done in part because the issue is important to Quebec voters.
In a statement at the time, Anandasangaree said his comments were “wrong.” He also insisted that the police forces will be able to do their job.
