Tony Bernardo is Executive Director of the Canadian Shooting Sports Association.Since Justin Trudeau first announced his ban on most semi-automatic rifles and shotguns on May 1st, 2020, he insisted he would compensate firearms owners for guns confiscated and destroyed by his Liberal government. Over four years later, there is still no Firearms Confiscation Compensation Scheme. There is no program, no plan, and no clue how to execute the confiscations, despite the government’s repeated attempts to find businesses willing to seize guns from law-abiding Canadians.All is not lost for them however, as we have a fancy new title for Trudeau’s firearms confiscation compensation scheme: “Assault-Style Firearms Compensation Program (ASFCP.)” Liberal briefing documents showed that confiscating guns banned by the Order in Council would cost over $2 billion, yet a parade of Public Safety Ministers insisted it would cost a fraction of that. The Public Safety Minister asked repeatedly, via the contract tender process, for companies willing to confiscate firearms from civilians. Despite numerous attempts, not a single business was willing to become the Liberal government’s gun confiscation scapegoat. In March 2024, news agencies reported the government had spent $42 million on their non-existent firearms confiscation scheme so far, without seizing a single gun. With nobody willing to take on the job of confiscating firearms from licensed gun owners, Public Safety finally turned to retired RCMP members, in what feels like a last gasp of a dying government. Justin Trudeau’s Public Safety Minister ordered the RCMP to ask retired RCMP members in New Brunswick to join the government’s firearms confiscation team, according to a July 30, 2024, report from TheGunBlog.ca. .“The objective of the Public Safety Canada-led ASFCP is to enable owners of Assault Style Firearms to receive compensation by turning in their now banned ASF’s to the government for destruction.”“We are reaching out to solicitate your interest in this public safety program.”“The J Division Reservists are crucial to the success of this program, please take the time to consider your participation and commitment to this RCMP public safety priority.”TheGunBlog.ca asked multiple levels of the RCMP to clarify what duties would be assigned to these RCMP Reservists. Not one would respond, other than to pass the hot potato up the chain of command.Thus,RCMP Reserve Program, J Division, July 24: No reply until after we published this report.They directed us to the RCMP HQ media service. RCMP Reserve Program, National Division, July 24: No reply.RCMP National Headquarters, Media Service, July 25: They directed us to the Department of Public Safety, which oversees the RCMP.Department of Public Safety, Media Service, July 25: They directed us to their General Enquiries service.Department of Public Safety, General Enquiries Service, July 25: No reply.This Public Safety directive shows that Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government has no clue about how to follow through on their virtue-signalling gun ban by Order-in-Council.This is also a hallmark of the Trudeau government: Make a grandiose announcement, follow it with nation-wide press conferences, then do nothing unless there’s an opportunity to shovel truckloads of taxpayer cash into the hands of Liberal-friendly businesses.It’s fascinating that Justin Trudeau can’t find a single company willing to be the public face for his Liberal government’s gun confiscation plans.It’s offensive that the RCMP refers to government agents going door-to-door confiscating firearms from licensed gun owners as an “RCMP public safety priority.”Tony Bernardo is Executive Director of the Canadian Shooting Sports Association.
