MENA Newswire, OTTAWA: The federal Government of Canada and the Government of Québec have finalized a funding agreement to help implement the nationwide Assault-Style Firearms Compensation Program in Québec, officials said Wednesday. The accord outlines provincial responsibilities and federal financial support as Ottawa prepares to extend the program to individual firearm owners.
Canada’s Minister of Public Safety, Gary Anandasangaree, and Québec’s Minister of Public Security, Ian Lafrenière, jointly announced the contribution agreement in Ottawa. Under the terms, Ottawa will provide up to C$12.4 million to Québec to assist with the coordination and collection of prohibited firearms under the compensation program. The federal compensation effort, part of recent firearms prohibition measures, is designed to offer financial reimbursement to eligible owners who permanently deactivate or turn in prohibited firearms. Québec will use the federal funds to support policing and administrative tasks necessary to manage the collection process within the province.
Federal officials said the contribution agreement is aligned with preparations to expand the program beyond businesses to include private owners of prohibited firearms. Implementation will involve a phased process that begins with a declaration requirement for individual owners, followed by scheduled collection appointments and subsequent payment of compensation once a firearm has been verified and processed. Public Safety Canada said the first phase opened this month with the invitation for individuals to submit a declaration through an online portal. The department emphasized that declarations are a procedural step to register firearms for the next stages of the program and do not constitute approval for compensation on their own.
The Québec agreement is timed to support owners during the current Criminal Code amnesty period, which expires on Oct. 30, 2026. Under the Criminal Code, individuals must not possess prohibited firearms beyond the amnesty deadline without facing legal non-compliance. The compensation program aims to facilitate compliance by offering a structured process for surrender or deactivation.
In announcing the agreement, Anandasangaree said the funding will ensure local police services in Québec have the necessary resources to conduct firearms collection activities without drawing resources from other public safety responsibilities. Lafrenière said Québec supports measures to control prohibited firearms and that the collaboration will allow eligible owners to participate in the federal program.
Federal and provincial coordination framework
Public Safety Canada has said its prohibition framework covers more than 2,500 models and variants of firearms identified as “assault-style,” beginning with an initial prohibition in May 2020 and followed by additional listings in December 2024 and March 2025. The government’s regulatory criteria include firearm components and performance characteristics tied to muzzle energy and bore diameter thresholds.
The compensation program was first introduced for eligible businesses before its planned expansion to individuals nationwide. Public Safety Canada reported that more than 12,000 prohibited firearms were collected from businesses before that stream closed on April 30, 2025. More than C$22 million in compensation payments have been processed for those business claims. Officials said the business stream is expected to reopen to eligible entities in early 2026, while individual participation will continue through the declaration portal and subsequent collection arrangements. The phased approach is structured to manage administrative and operational demands as the program scales.
Québec’s role under the agreement includes managing local coordination for collection events in partnership with municipal and provincial police services. The province’s public safety infrastructure will interface with federal requirements to process declarations, schedule collection appointments and handle surrendered firearms according to program standards.
Intergovernmental implementation approach
Federal authorities said that provincial collaboration agreements are being pursued across Canada to ensure consistent implementation of collection and compensation logistics. Each provincial arrangement outlines responsibilities for law enforcement involvement, administrative coordination and financial reimbursement for associated costs. Public Safety Canada has published guidance materials detailing the declaration process, eligibility criteria and documentation owners must provide to participate in the compensation program. The department is overseeing the development of standard operating procedures to guide law enforcement and administrative staff involved in processing claims.
The coordinated effort reflects Canada’s broader approach to enforcing recent firearms legislation while providing a structured compensation mechanism for individuals and businesses relinquishing prohibited weapons. Federal and provincial officials said they will continue public information efforts to help owners understand their options and obligations under the program. The contribution agreement with Québec represents one of the first of its kind under the expanded compensation initiative. Federal officials said similar funding arrangements are anticipated with other provinces and territories to support localized program delivery as the nationwide rollout progresses through its planned phases.