In May 2020, Prime Minister Trudeau issued an Order-In-Council immediately outlawing more than 1,500 makes and models of “military-style assault weapons,” which would be confiscated in due course. According to the Parliamentary Budget Officer’s recent estimate, it will cost between $47 million and $756 million to compensate or “buy back” now-banned firearms from legal owners. The wide range and higher estimate contrasts with estimates made in February by federal Public Safety Minister Bill Blair who said compensation costs would be between $300 million and $400 million.
