The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is calling on the federal government to cancel its firearms buyback program, arguing Ottawa has not produced evidence showing the initiative will improve public safety or reduce crime. 

The advocacy group said an access-to-information request it filed with Public Safety Canada found the department had no internal analysis on the effectiveness of the program. 

The CTF requested “all analysis from the department on the efficacy of the assault style firearms compensation program and its effect on crime rates/public safety.” According to the group, Public Safety Canada responded that “no information related to your request exists within Public Safety Canada.” 

“If the government can’t show taxpayers this program will work, then taxpayers shouldn’t be paying for it,” CTF Prairie Director Gage Haubrich said in a statement. “Ottawa needs to listen to police officers who say the gun ban and confiscation won’t work.” 

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The federal government introduced the ban on thousands of models of firearms in 2020 and has said the buyback program is intended to improve public safety by removing prohibited firearms from circulation. 

The CTF release argued that violent firearm crime rates have risen since the prohibition was introduced, although it did not provide specific statistics. 

The organization also pointed to criticism from some law enforcement officials and provincial governments. Clayton Campbell, president of the Toronto Police Association, has previously said the buyback program would have “essentially, zero impact” on crime in Toronto. 

According to the CTF, several police forces across Canada have declined to participate in the program. The group also said all provincial governments except British Columbia and Quebec have refused to support the initiative, citing concerns about its effectiveness. 

Budget 2025 allocates at least $742 million toward the federal firearms program, though some outside estimates have projected the total cost could be significantly higher. 

“Law enforcement experts say the gun grab will do nothing to make Canada safer,” Haubrich said. “The government doesn’t have any evidence otherwise. Ottawa needs to listen to the experts and scrap this gun ban and confiscation scheme.”