After six months in office, Mark Carney has come under serious fire from within parliament for the first time since the April 2025 federal Canadian election. His Minister of Public Safety Gary Anandasangaree is in the hot seat over a tape released just two weeks prior in which Anandasangaree expressed his skepticism about the feasibility of the Carney government’s gun buyback program. This recording has led to harsh criticism from the Conservative opposition in the legislature who have read this as an admission from Anandasangaree that the program is doomed to fail.

The Canadian Press

During a question period, Pierre Poilievre posed the question: “When will the Prime Minister fire this Minister [Gary Anandasangaree]?” As of now, this course of action seems unlikely. Carney has dug his heels in and stated that he has full confidence in Anandasangaree’s abilities as Minister of Public Safety. The government seems to hope that this issue will simply blow over. However, clear issues with the gun buyback pilot program in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia have left many to wonder whether this political misstep will come back to bite the government.

The Government’s Pilot Program

In cooperation with local police, the federal government has launched a pilot program in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia that will offer financial compensation to those who own one of the 2,500 different types of assault-style firearms banned under the Trudeau government. In time, this program will be expanded to cover all of Canada. Marketed as a voluntary program for those who wish to either hand over or deactivate their firearms, it is set to run into October of 2026. After this time, those still found to be in possession of operable assault-style firearms will be legally liable.

Whether the gun buyback program will ever be able to be fully implemented has been repeatedly questioned by pundits on both sides of the aisle. Since it was first proposed in 2020, the Liberal government has had to extend the gun buyback program several times now due to its inability to find a reliable means by which to collect and dispose of the firearms. The RCMP, OPP, the Canadian Postal Service, and the military have all been considered as potential middlemen for the program to no avail. With an initial deadline of April 30th, 2022, the amnesty period was extended by a year in 2022, extended in 2023 to October 30th, 2025, and has now been extended by another year under Anandasangaree’s portfolio.

AR-15s are among the 2,500 different types of assault-style firearms that have been banned under the Liberal government in the past five years (The Canadian Press).

Many have proven resistant to the Liberals’ gun buyback program. 250 protestors rallied outside of Cape Breton Regional Police headquarters in Sydney, Nova Scotia back in late September in condemnation of Bill C-21 which catalyzed the program. Conservative MPs, Blaine Calkins and Carol Anstey, featured prominently at the rally. The Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights have been equally vocal in their criticism labeling the program “a waste of police resources and of tax dollars”.

Those against the gun buyback program feel that those who have licensed firearms are being unfairly targeted by the government, given that the majority of crime is committed by those wielding illegal weaponry rather than by those with permits who use their guns for sport and hunting. As summed up by Conservative MP Blaine Calkins at the Sydney rally: “We don’t solve the problem of crime by going after people who don’t break the law. Criminals don’t register their guns; criminals don’t go and take the firearm safety course; criminals don’t lock their guns up and have safe storage rules in their homes.” Many fear that for this reason the gun buyback program will not actually do anything to prevent violent crime and will simply be a drain on resources.

The many police forces asked to aid and abet in the collection of firearms for the program have likewise proven apprehensive to do so. Of the numerous police jurisdictions asked to take part, forces in Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta have all rejected requests by the federal government for their assistance. However, police forces in Fredericton and Winnipeg have given their consent along with several Nova Scotia jurisdictions.

Protestors gather outside the Myles F. Burke Police Headquarters on Grand Lake Road in Sydney, Nova Scotia to protest Bill C-21 and the Liberal government’s gun buyback program (The National Post/Ian Nathanson).

The cost of the program is also a cause of concern for many Canadians. With a federal budget of $742 million and some $22 million in compensation having already been dolled out to businesses, the program will not be cheap. As a government that was elected primarily with the expectation that they would cut down on public expenditures, some say this is not a good look.

Anandasangaree’s Recording

The recording released of Gary Anandasangaree conversing with a tenant at one of his Toronto properties highlighted the minister’s concerns about the viability of the program. The tape was leaked by the Canadian Coalition for Firearms Rights on September 22nd.

Explaining the reasoning behind the buyback program, Anandasangaree stated in the recording: “It’s been constant, constant discussions on this to see what’s next, right, and the conclusion is, ‘Let’s finish this because we committed to it in the campaign.” He further noted that he fears municipal police services do not have the resources to enforce Bill C-21 nor facilitate the program itself. The minister even went so far as to say: “If I were to redo this … like from scratch, I would have a very different approach on this.”

Anandasangaree also noted the extent to which the gun buyback program has been influenced by the Quebec electorate, saying: “This is something that [is] very much a big, big, big deal for many of the Quebec electorate that voted for us.”

When berated during question period by Leader of the Opposition Pierre Poilievre over Anandasangaree’s misstep, Carney fired back: “What the minister of public safety is doing, is doing it right, he’s correcting an inefficient system to provide Canadians with fair compensation [for their firearms].” Acknowledging the limitations and past failings of the gun buyback program, Anandasangaree and Carney both seem to have their own reserved doubts. In spite of that, having run on the promise to continue the gun buyback program, they seem to be bound to what is now a sinking anchor for their government.

Minister of Public Safety Gary Anandasangaree speaks during a parliamentary question period on his government’s gun buyback program (The Canadian Press).

Conclusion

In keeping with the principle of individual ministerial accountability, cabinet ministers are generally expected to resign when they embarrass the government or fail in their portfolio. Carney’s willingness to stand by Anandasangaree and refusal to ask for his resignation illustrates his stubbornness to admit defeat on the gun buyback issue. If he were to fire Anandasangaree, this would prove to be a major black eye for his government. It remains to be seen whether Anandasangaree will be shuffled out of cabinet at a later date, though, as he has violated standards of cabinet confidentiality and unanimity and may now be seen as a weak link by the caucus. This first controversy may yet prove difficult for Carney to weather in the months to come.