Gun Buyback Pilot on Prince Edward Island Not Going Ahead: Report

Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino arrives at the Public Order Emergency Commission, Nov. 22, 2022 in Ottawa. The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld

The federal government’s plan to start its firearms buyback program on Prince Edward Island as a pilot project is not going ahead, according to a news report.

The information was first reported by Maritimes media group Saltwire Network on Jan. 12, and was commented on by Alberta Justice Minister Tyler Shandro.

“Just two days after [Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino’s] plans to use PEI as a training ground for their firearms confiscation program were exposed - the federal Liberals have already backed down,” Shandro tweeted on Jan. 12.

“Now its time to push the feds to back down from going after all Canadian firearms owners.”

The Epoch Times has reached out to Public Safety Canada and P.E.I’s Department of Justice and Public Safety to confirm the news, but neither replied before publication time.

A note posted on the Public Services and Procurement Canada website on Dec. 29 said the pilot phase of the gun buyback program would be starting in December 2022.

“Prince Edward Island (PE) will be used as a pilot and will be the first point of collection based on the smaller number of firearms,” it says.

“As a result, lessons learned, gaps analysis and risk assessment would inform the phase 2 national roll-out.”

This national roll-out would then take place in the spring of 2023, according to the note.

Audrey Champoux, press secretary for Mendicino, told Saltwire the P.E.I pilot was “one of many options on the table and should be considered out of date.”

A spokesperson for P.E.I.’s Department of Justice and Public Safety told Saltwire the province had been informed of the buyback pilot last summer.

“However, discussions were paused in the fall during federal, provincial and territorial discussions. At this time, the Province is still awaiting further details from the federal government on how their buy-back program may be implemented,” said Vicki Tse.

The federal government added 1,500 firearms to the prohibited schedule on May 1, 2020, a few days after the mass shooting in Portapique, Nova Scotia.

Lawful owners have several ways to part with their firearm, such as delivering it to police for destruction, exporting it legally, or selling it back to the government.

The Liberal government is attempting to increase the number of prohibited firearms by adding amendments to its Bill C-21.

The two track approach includes adding new models to the prohibited list and creating an evergreen definition to capture all firearms the Liberals call “assault-style.”

Opposition parties, First Nations, and interest groups have pushed back on the amendments which will come under more scrutiny at the Commons public safety committee once the House resumes sitting at the end of the month.

Meanwhile the Federal Court has approved on Jan. 11 the Province of Alberta’s application to receive intervenor status in six lawsuits challenging the 2020 firearms ban.

Alberta has also said it would not cooperate with Ottawa’s plan to confiscate firearms in the province.

The Trudeau government says that removing the weapons from circulation will help address gun violence.

Statistics Canada data shows that individuals who do not hold a valid firearms license were behind over 80 percent of homicides with a gun in 2018, 2019, and 2020.

The data doesn’t necessarily say that the weapon used was legally obtained, only whether the perpetrator had the right to purchase and own firearms.