With 476 estimated ‘assault-style’ guns in Yukon, minister slams federal buyback program

Published 12:00 pm Friday, January 23, 2026

Justice Minister Laura Lang has reiterated the Yukon government’s opposition to the federal government’s gun buyback program.

Lang’s statement suggests the program targets law-abiding citizens as opposed to criminals.

“Yukoners, including members of Yukon First Nations exercising their subsistence rights, hunters, outfitters and sport shooters are facing the brunt of the federal confiscation efforts,” Lang said.

“These efforts distract from real challenges and are fundamentally incompatible with the northern way of life that unites all Yukoners. Hunting, harvesting, feasting and celebrating are inseparable from our northern community and identity and must be promoted, not punished.”

Lang described the program as unfairly pitted against Yukon gun owners, and said the feds have no implementation plan, nor evidence to back up their measure amid deteriorating support.

She claims only a “small percentage” of the firearms seized will be compensated and the first-come, first-served method will leave remote Yukoners at the back of the line for receiving compensation.

“Further, the confiscation program fails to compensate owners for loss of use or for the components, accessories and ammunition that have no value without a suitable firearm,” she said.

Lang wants the federal government to abandon the program and related prohibitions. She notified Yukon MP Brendan Hanley of her statement on the evening of Jan. 22, 2026.

“Given that the announcement was made just a matter of days ago, we have not had a chance to formally communicate this to the federal government. However, we look forward to discussing this with the federal government at our first opportunity,” Tim Kucharuk of Yukon government cabinet communications told the News by email on Jan. 22, 2026.

No territorial policing resources should be funnelled into carrying out the buyback program, states an earlier response to the News from Kucharuk on this issue dated Dec. 11, 2025.

The Yukon government has yet to put any money toward support what it calls the “federal gun confiscation initiative,” adds Kucharuk.

A spokesperson for the federal government told the News last month that the Yukon contains an estimated “476 prohibited assault-style firearms.”

Public Safety Canada said the RCMP will be in charge of collecting firearms under the Assault-Style Firearms Compensation Program. The program will be open to Yukon residents so they may get money back for guns that were previously banned.

“The RCMP is being funded federally, separate and apart from contract policing services, to deliver this program, to avoid impacts on front-line policing,” the federal spokesperson said.

The Dec. 8, 2025 throne speech mentioned the new Yukon Party government under Premier Currie Dixon would advise the Government of Canada of its refusal to participate in the program.

The Yukon Party has been long opposed to the program but was only recently elected to form the territorial government on Nov. 3, 2025.

Dixon wrote a letter to now-Prime Minister Mark Carney, posted to social media and dated March 24, 2025, when Dixon led the Official Opposition. He called federal firearms policy “ideologically-driven, performative, and quite frankly, completely ineffective” as well as “draconian,” and asked Carney to abandon former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s approach.

According to Yukon government briefing notes prepared for former Liberal justice minister Tracy-Anne McPhee, the Government of Canada has engaged the Yukon about considering a northern chief firearms officer program for the territories.

Kucharuk indicated work is ongoing when it comes to creating the position of a chief firearms officer for the Yukon.

“We are working with the Government of Canada to determine the scope of the Chief Firearms Officer role, and gain clarity regarding the implementation process,” he said.

While more than 2,500 makes and models of firearms have been banned in Canada since May 2020, Public Safety Canada noted more than 19,000 makes and models remain available for ownership.

The gun buyback program launched to all individual gun owners on Jan. 19, 2026.

“While participating in the program is voluntary, compliance with the law is not,” reads the federal website about the program.

“Businesses and individual firearm owners must safely dispose of or permanently deactivate their assault-style firearms before the amnesty period ends on Oct. 30, 2026, or risk criminal liability for the illegal possession of a prohibited firearm.”

Contact Dana Hatherly at dana.hatherly@yukon-news.com