The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) is taking the federal government to court in a bid to force transparency over the ballooning cost of Ottawa’s controversial gun ban and confiscation program.The CTF has launched a legal challenge to compel the Information Commissioner to rule on a long-delayed access-to-information complaint after the government refused to release projected costs for the program.“This case is about the accountability and transparency Canadians deserve in order to exercise their democratic rights,” said Devin Drover, CTF General Counsel. “Ottawa has a legal duty to respond to access-to-information complaints, yet the Commissioner has allowed this file to languish while taxpayers are left in the dark.”The group says the government is stonewalling Canadians on how much the firearm confiscation effort will really cost. “Canadians have a right to know what this program will really cost and we’re in court to make sure the government follows the law and tells the truth,” said Drover..The CTF first filed an access-to-information request in July 2023 seeking internal cost estimates for the federal firearm confiscation plan. The government released partial records in January 2024 showing the RCMP’s Pacific Region estimated $12.6 million would be needed to confiscate and destroy firearms there. However, Ottawa refused to release information from other RCMP divisions.The CTF filed a complaint with the Information Commissioner in April 2024 but has received no report, explanation, or timeline for completion. The organization says the commissioner’s inaction undermines Canadians’ Charter right to freedom of expression by denying timely access to information necessary for public debate..“Taxpayers have a right to see the costs of Ottawa’s gun ban and confiscation,” said Gage Haubrich, CTF Prairie Director. “Ottawa shouldn’t be hiding the full picture of potential costs for a program that will cost taxpayers tons of money and that law enforcement experts say won’t make Canadians safer.”Budget 2025 states the government has committed $742 million to the program, but critics say the true figure is far higher. When first announced in 2019, the Liberal Party claimed the program would cost $200 million. The Parliamentary Budget Officer later pegged compensation costs alone at up to $756 million, while other experts estimate the final price tag could reach $6 billion.The union representing RCMP members has also raised alarm, saying Ottawa’s program “diverts extremely important personnel, resources, and funding away from addressing the more immediate and growing threat of criminal use of illegal firearms.”
