Leaked Audio: Public Safety Minister Expressed Doubts About Gun Buyback in Private Conversation

Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said in a private conversation he didn’t think municipal police forces would have the resources to enforce the Liberal government’s gun buyback program, according to a leaked audio recording. He also said that the Liberal government is maintaining the program because of Quebec votes.

The minister had the private conversation on Sept. 21 with an individual he later said he had known for “many years.” The individual recorded the conversation without Anandasangaree’s knowledge and leaked the recording to a “gun lobbyist,” Anandasangaree said during question period in the House of Commons on Sept. 22.

While Anandasangaree repeatedly says in the recording that the program is “voluntary,” the individual notes some people call it “confiscation” since those who don’t turn in their guns won’t be in compliance with the new legislation and could face charges.

Anandasangaree tells the individual he shouldn’t worry about being arrested for not complying, as police likely don’t have enough resources to enforce it.

“I just don’t think municipal police services have the resources to do this,” Anandasangaree says, adding that he would bail the individual out of jail if arrested for not turning in his firearms.

Anandasangaree has said the program will be launched on Sept. 23, beginning with a pilot program in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, where the local police force agreed to participate. Meanwhile, Anandasangaree told reporters on Sept. 17 the Ontario Provincial Police said it won’t participate in collecting guns from Canadians as part of the program. The Alberta and Saskatchewan governments have also directed police forces in their jurisdictions to not take part in the program.

Last month, the Liberal government vowed to complete the buyback of what it calls “assault-style” rifles by the end of 2026. The first phase of the program, which involves buyback from businesses, is already underway, but it has not yet started for individuals.

Around 1,500 makes and models of firearms were first banned under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government after a mass shooting in Nova Scotia in 2020, which was committed by a man using stolen and smuggled weapons. The prohibited firearms list was expanded to more than 2,000 in March of this year.

In the leaked recording, Anandasangaree tells the individual that the federal government intends to cap funding for the program at its projected budget of $742 million, which would mean Canadians who turn in their firearms after the budget is spent wouldn’t receive compensation. The minister also admitted that the compensation will not cover the full costs for firearm owners.

Instead of defending the program, Anandasangaree is heard saying he is simply carrying out a directive provided to him by Prime Minister Mark Carney, who is following through with the initiative started by the Trudeau government because it was part of Carney’s election campaign earlier this year. He also noted that his party is carrying on with the program because of Quebec votes.

“If I were to redo this one, like from scratch, I would have a very different approach to this,” Anandasangaree says, adding that he would focus on dealing with illegal firearms instead.

“Quebec is in a different place than other parts of Canada … and this is something that is very much a big, big, big deal for many of the Quebec electorate that voted for us,” he said.

Opposition Criticism

However, Anandasangaree had a different tone about the program when speaking during question period in the House of Commons on Sept. 22.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre criticized the Liberal government for “freeing rampant gun criminals and wasting billions of dollars” on the gun buyback program instead of going after the criminals.

“Over the weekend, the minister of public safety accidentally told the truth, and he was recorded doing it,” Poilievre said. “He said that the gun grab is not worth the money, that it will go over budget, and it would be better just to lock up the criminals, but that they’re going ahead with the bad policy because it’s good politics.”

Anandasangaree said Canadians have wanted “responsible gun control” since the 1989 École Polytechnique shooting, the 2017 Quebec City mosque shooting, and the 2020 mass shooting in Nova Scotia. In the case of the École Polytechnique shooting, the killer used a legally obtained firearm; in the Quebec City mosque shooting, the killer used a legal semi-automatic weapon with illegal magazines which fired faster rounds; in the Nova Scotia massacre, the killer used guns illegally smuggled from the United States.

“Mr. Speaker, why are the Conservatives against keeping guns off our streets, and why has this Leader of the Opposition voted against every single gun control measure that he has been in Parliament for,” Anandasangaree said.

Anandasangaree noted the Liberal government is ready to follow through on the commitment it made during the last election campaign. “Canadians gave us a mandate on April 28 to ensure that we move forward on this program, and we look forward to its implementation,” he said.

In a media statement, Anandasangaree said the leaked conversation was with an individual whom he has known for many years, and that it was recorded by that individual “without my knowledge before it was distributed by a gun lobbyist.” Anandasangaree said he makes a point of speaking with Canadians who don’t support his party’s approach to gun control to listen to their concerns.

“In trying to address this individual’s frustrations, my comments were misguided,” he said.

Anandasangaree added that Canadians “have waited long enough for this policy to be implemented and I fully intend to deliver on this commitment.”

House Debate

In the House of Commons, Tory public safety critic Frank Caputo called the “confiscation” buyback program “an incredible boondoggle,” noting it sounded like Anandasangaree doesn’t believe in the program in the leaked conversation.

“So if the public safety minister doesn’t believe in this program, why are we spending 742 million taxpayer dollars to keep it going,” Caputo said.

Justice Minister Sean Fraser noted the Liberal government intends to table legislation this fall to ensure “the most serious offenders are actually facing stiffer penalties.”

“It is hard to accept criticism when it comes to keeping our communities safe from gun violence from a member who, for more than two decades, has voted against the very specific measures that are designed to take guns off our streets, and he has voted repeatedly on the measures that will weaken our border to prevent the inflow of guns in the first place,” Fraser remarked about Poilievre.

Secretary of State for Nature Nathalie Provost, a victim of the École Polytechnique shooting in 1989, also commented on the program.

“Thirty-five years ago, I was shot by a legal gun abiding owner, and since then, what Canadians want is assault-style firearms to get off our streets,” Provost said. “And this is going to happen this year.”

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.