Premier Danielle Smith is again drawing a hard line against Ottawa’s firearm confiscation plan, saying Alberta will not take part in the federal gun grab and will continue to resist what her government calls a misdirected policy.“We have been clear time and again — Alberta will not participate in the federal firearm confiscation program,” Smith said Friday."Alberta will continue to fight this ill-conceived gun grab to ensure law enforcement can focus their limited time and resources on violent criminals, not law-abiding Albertans.”Smith’s comments reinforce Alberta’s longstanding opposition to the Liberal government’s gun agenda, which bans thousands of models of legally owned firearms and seeks to remove them from circulation through a federally run compensation program. .Alberta has argued the gun grab does little to address gang violence or repeat offenders while placing new burdens on police services and rural communities.Resistance to the gun grab is no longer limited to western provinces.Police services in Ontario are also signalling they will not participate in enforcing the federal program. Both Hamilton Police and Peterborough Police are expected to announce they will not take part in the Liberal gun grab, citing concerns over priorities and limited resources..Police leaders have repeatedly warned that dedicating officers to collecting firearms from compliant owners diverts manpower from frontline policing and crime prevention. Several services have said they prefer to focus on illegal guns and violent offenders rather than administering a federal program they view as politically driven.That pushback is now extending to smaller Ontario communities.Saugeen Shores Police have also rejected participation in the federal gun grab, adding to a growing list of law enforcement agencies distancing themselves from the program. The service has raised similar concerns about the use of police resources and questioned whether enforcing confiscation from licensed owners would improve public safety..Opposition to the gun grab is also emerging in the North.The Yukon government confirmed it will not participate in the federal plan. Community Services Minister Laura Lang said the gun grab unfairly targets responsible gun owners while doing little to curb gun crime.Lang said the territory shares concerns raised by provinces and police services that the program will consume significant public resources without delivering measurable public safety benefits.With Alberta, Yukon, and multiple police forces pushing back, the federal Liberal government is facing growing resistance to a flagship element of its firearms policy. Critics argue the mounting refusals highlight a widening gap between Ottawa’s approach and the priorities of provinces, territories, and frontline law enforcement.
