Juno News - June 09, 2025


Liberal gun grab to cost taxpayers one billion dollars

Topics
Liberal gun buyback costs supply management bill
Hosted by
Noah Jarvis
Mentioned
Justin Trudeau David Clements Bill C-63 Anand Sandury Yves-Francois Blanchet Madeline Weld Andrew Lawton Donald Trump Mark Carney Gary Anandasangari
Sam Cooper exposes Trudeau Government’s interference in CSIS operation The KNIVES come out for Carney, Liberal Party in TURMOIL + How Juno News is fighting WOKE culture

Episode Stats


Length

17 minutes

Words per minute

150.36

Word count

2,601

Sentence count

109

Harmful content

Hate speech

1

sentences flagged


Summary

Summaries generated with gmurro/bart-large-finetuned-filtered-spotify-podcast-summ .

Originally budgeted at $200 million, the Liberal government's 2020 long gun ban is now estimated to cost taxpayers almost $1 billion. Experts are ringing the alarm bells about Canada's unsustainable levels of immigration. A bill from the Bloc Quebecois making it harder to reform Canada's supply management system passed with unanimous consent.

Transcript

Transcript generated with Whisper (turbo).
Hate speech classifications generated with facebook/roberta-hate-speech-dynabench-r4-target .
Topics generated with Qwen2.5-3B-Instruct.
Hosts, guests, and mentioned names generated with spaCy (en_core_web_sm), reconciled against Wikidata.
00:00:00.000 The Liberal government's gun-grab program is set to cost taxpayers nearly $1 billion.
00:00:10.080 Experts are ringing the alarm bells about Canada's unsustainable levels of immigration.
00:00:14.840 A private member's bill from the Bloc Québécois making it harder to reform Canada's supply management system passed with unanimous consent.
00:00:23.560 Hello Canada, it's Monday, June 9th, and this is the True North Daily Brief. I'm Cosmin Giorgio.
00:00:29.160 And I'm Noah Jarvis.
00:00:30.460 We've got you covered with all the news you need to know.
00:00:33.420 Let's discuss the top stories of the day and the True North exclusives you won't hear anywhere else.
00:00:41.620 Originally budgeted at $200 million, the Liberal government's 2020 long gun ban is now estimated to cost taxpayers almost $1 billion.
00:00:51.300 Using the Treasury Board's 2025-2026 main estimates and analysis compiled by the Canadian firearm magazine, Caliber estimates the updated budget now sits at $803.4 million.
00:01:07.780 That would work out to costing taxpayers roughly $20,000 per firearm collected.
00:01:12.620 The government's latest predictions for departmental spending included an expected transfer of $342.6 million in grants and contributions to the Assault Style Firearms Compensation Program.
00:01:25.920 This $597.9 million lump sum was earmarked in the last fall economic statement for the Liberals' first three-year commitment to the buyback program.
00:01:38.100 Operational costs incurred by public safety for program implementation were not included in the estimate.
00:01:43.900 While the main estimates don't provide an exact estimate of these costs, the Public Safety Department's latest quarterly financial statement indicates that the buyback program bore the lion's share of the department's operating expenses year over year.
00:02:00.000 This latest estimate remains conservative given that $30.8 million in new funding for public safety's operation and administrative costs is exclusively for serving the retail business aspect of the buyback program.
00:02:14.560 According to Public Safety, that specific section of confiscation only accounts for roughly 9,000 of the 140,000 firearms that were prohibited when the legislation was initially implemented in 2020.
00:02:27.720 That would amount to $3,422 in operation expenses per firearm confiscated from a business.
00:02:35.260 However, many more models have been included in the years since 2020.
00:02:39.280 In the final days of the Trudeau government, former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau added nearly 200 additional firearm models to its mandatory buyback program.
00:02:47.800 Prime Minister Mark Carney also pledged to, quote, reinvigorate the program's implementation during his election campaign.
00:02:54.780 Newly appointed Public Safety Minister Gary Anand Sandury said that 1,000 guns had been collected since the program's inception while answering questions from Conservative MP Andrew Lawton in the House of Commons on Thursday.
00:03:08.260 While Anand Sandury was unable to confirm the cost of each firearm collected, he did say the government now intends to collect a total of 179,000 firearms under the buyback program.
00:03:19.680 We're already five years into this thing since it was first conceived, and we only have 1,000 guns collected or purchased by the liberal government.
00:03:30.140 And yet, they aim to somehow buy 179,000, and who knows along what amount of time.
00:03:37.740 Is the federal program, the buyback program, even worth all of this?
00:03:42.700 All the delays, the confusion, and cost overruns that have gone into this $1 billion boondoggle, Noah?
00:03:51.340 I don't think so, and I think most Canadians would agree with me.
00:03:54.320 I think that when the federal government proposes a program to the Canadian people, they should be able to transparently estimate how much this program would cost to administer and be able to effectively deliver on that promise.
00:04:08.640 However, that is the complete opposite that we're getting from the liberal government of Trudeau and Carney.
00:04:13.980 We're seeing just a complete inability to actually collect these firearms and trying to put it on, say, the Canada Post to be responsible for collecting these firearms,
00:04:25.660 even though I think many Canadians would transparently be able to see the problem with that.
00:04:31.800 But if the federal program is going to cost this much, it's going to cost $1 billion, I think firearms owners deserve to have some more transparency on if their firearms are going to be collected or not.
00:04:43.140 I know that a lot of firearms businesses, businesses that sell guns, they are having a lot of problems with a big inventory of guns they just cannot sell.
00:04:53.640 So just giving those businesses some clarity over the confusion that the federal government has been pushing onto them and really just trying to ensure that the program is able to be delivered effectively, I think that they've completely failed.
00:05:10.300 So I think it's high time to just scrap the program.
00:05:13.600 Many Canadians don't even agree with the goal of the program, myself included.
00:05:17.860 Firearms owners and their property rights have been infringed on, and in doing so, they've created this program that they're just unable to administer in a cost-effective manner.
00:05:30.700 So I think it's time, and I think Canadians would agree to me, to scrap the federal gun buyback program.
00:05:35.860 But if not, just to really ensure that firearms owners are not left in this state of limbo and to actually get the program done in a cost-effective manner.
00:05:47.860 Canada is driving itself into an unsustainable cycle of mass immigration, housing unaffordability, and per capita economic decline, a situation normally seen in poor countries, warns Madeleine Weld, president of Population Institute Canada.
00:06:02.740 Weld's comments come in response to the OECD's 2025 Economic Survey of Canada, which found that the country is in a years-long per capita recession, despite headline GDP growth fueled by record immigration.
00:06:14.680 Quote, Canada grew itself into a population trap where population growth exceeds economic growth, a situation normally associated with poor developing countries, Weld said.
00:06:24.440 In 2023, its growth rate at 3.2% exceeded that of Africa and was five times higher than the OECD average.
00:06:32.500 She cited warnings from the National Bank of Canada and BMO Capital Markets, both of which have called Ottawa's immigration plan unsustainable.
00:06:38.680 Weld suggested negligence on the part of the federal government, which had been warned in 2022 that immigration levels were too high.
00:06:46.220 She also criticized former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for increasing already high immigration levels in 2017, despite his finance minister warning of a job churn among young Canadians.
00:06:56.460 Quote, Canadians can take a leaf from Japan's book.
00:06:59.420 Japan's population and economy have been shrinking for years because it's rapidly aging and has a low immigration rate, but it is doing much better than Canada economically in terms of services like health care and in terms of social cohesion, said Weld.
00:07:13.020 In 2023, Canada's birth rate was 1.2 children per woman, one of the lowest rates in the world.
00:07:19.180 To maintain a population, a fertility rate of 2.1 children per woman is required.
00:07:23.920 With a balanced immigration rate, where immigration equals emigration, Canada would have stabilized at around 27 million or 28 million, according to Weld.
00:07:32.900 The OECD found that while Canada's total GDP continues to grow, real GDP per capita, a measure of individual prosperity, has fallen below pre-pandemic levels.
00:07:42.340 From the start of 2015 to the end of 2023, real GDP per capita rose by just $298, or 0.5%.
00:07:50.720 Weld argued that current immigration levels are driving Canada's housing crisis and eroding social cohesion.
00:07:56.140 She also warned that young Canadians are being squeezed out of the labour market.
00:07:59.260 Jobs normally taken by young people and those entering the job market are being taken by newcomers, many of whom are temporary residents.
00:08:06.100 So, Cosmin, the federal government has been given repeated warning, not just from immigration experts, not just from economists, not just from people in highfalutin positions in civil society, but also Canadians in general.
00:08:17.660 We see polls in which desire to see immigration are exceeding over 50%, breaking the sort of immigration consensus that we had, where Canadians prefer bringing in more immigrants.
00:08:30.860 Now, the Trudeau government had flipped that dynamic on its head, and Canadians are pushing for reforms to the immigration system.
00:08:37.820 So, Cosmin, will the Carney government finally make some of those much-desired reforms to Canada's immigration system?
00:08:43.860 So, here's the thing. Even if you look at the intake targets that Carney has pledged, when you actually do the math, it's still a substantial amount of people.
00:08:53.200 So, for permanent residents, he said he wants to cap it at about 1% of the population.
00:08:59.920 Now, if you go based on the 2021 census data of 40 million people living in Canada, that's still 400,000 people a year coming to Canada on a permanent basis.
00:09:11.240 And as the population grows, that cap is going to grow alongside with it.
00:09:17.000 So, how is that any different than the 500,000 a year that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged that caused all of these problems?
00:09:25.260 And additionally, Carney has failed to address some of the major loopholes that are evident in Canada's immigration system,
00:09:34.740 especially when it comes to international students, which he's promised a 5% cap on.
00:09:42.200 Now, 5% of Canada's population is still 2 million international students per year.
00:09:48.120 So, these numbers don't really sound all that great when you look at the actual quantity of people the Liberals are talking about.
00:09:56.660 When they talk about percentages, when you're looking at single digits, it might sound good, but on paper, it's quite a lot of people.
00:10:03.780 So, the loopholes, like, are evident when we see 20,000 asylum claims by international students in Canada,
00:10:11.640 and there's been nothing done to address this, and whether the government even intends on sending these people back home, it's not really clear.
00:10:20.300 It's still early on in the Carney liberal minority government, but so far, the Liberals have not really tackled the issue of immigration
00:10:30.340 to the extent they would need to to solve all of the manifold problems that have emerged from this,
00:10:38.900 including the housing issues, the healthcare issues, and the problems with temporary foreign workers
00:10:46.300 and their impact on part-time and full-time work.
00:10:50.980 And when we saw the recent labor market statistics that came out from Statistics Canada for May,
00:10:57.700 it's obvious that the population is growing more than the amount of jobs our economy is producing currently.
00:11:06.120 A bill sponsored by the Bloc Québécois will make it harder to reform Canada's supply management system.
00:11:15.800 The first bill passed in the House of Commons during this parliamentary session was Bill C-202.
00:11:21.520 The bill, sponsored by Bloc Québécois leader Yves-Francois Blanchet,
00:11:25.840 passed unanimously through the committee stage and third reading.
00:11:29.080 The bill seeks to restrict the Foreign Affairs Minister and Ministry from engaging in negotiations
00:11:34.780 with other countries to alter Canada's supply management system.
00:11:38.720 The Foreign Affairs Minister would be prohibited from negotiating trade agreements
00:11:42.660 that increase the supply management quota, allowing more imports without being hit with a tariff,
00:11:48.100 or reduce the tariff rate on imports gone over quota.
00:11:51.640 The legislation comes in response to concerns from supporters of supply management
00:11:55.780 that the government would be willing to axe components of the system
00:11:59.520 to appease U.S. President Donald Trump in trade negotiations.
00:12:03.420 During the bill's second reading, the Bloc moved a motion to fast-track it through Parliament,
00:12:08.040 with the Conservatives, Liberals, and NDP allowing the motion to pass without objection.
00:12:13.220 The Bloc Québécois celebrated the passage of Bill C-202,
00:12:16.960 touting it as an accomplishment in fulfilling the party's campaign promises.
00:12:21.240 A post by the Bloc on social media reads,
00:12:24.060 Our bill protecting supply management has been adopted.
00:12:28.220 It's a great day for our agriculture and for the future,
00:12:31.640 and for the people who get up early to put food on our tables.
00:12:35.240 While the bill did not face any objection from Canada's political class,
00:12:39.620 concerns remain regarding supply management and the effect that C-202 will have
00:12:44.660 in preventing reforms to the system.
00:12:47.180 The bill now heads to the Senate, where it must pass before becoming law.
00:12:51.120 David Clement, the North American affairs manager at the Consumer Choice Center,
00:12:55.980 told True North that supply management results in higher prices for Canadian consumers
00:13:00.720 while lining the pockets of farmers.
00:13:03.520 Clement said,
00:13:04.200 Noah, why is it the case that it seems like all of Canada's political parties are aligned
00:13:27.180 when it comes to supply management?
00:13:29.620 There isn't a major elected federal party that opposes or rather wants to scrap supply management.
00:13:38.200 Right.
00:13:38.960 I think the only party that opposes the supply management system is the People's Party of Canada,
00:13:44.620 and they received less than 1% of the vote in the past election.
00:13:48.940 So it's not exactly like anti-supply management parties are particularly popular in Canada.
00:13:54.800 And I think that the political parties, the Conservatives, the Liberals, the NDP,
00:14:00.140 they are all in favor of the supply management system because they are, I guess,
00:14:05.000 doing the political calculus that they will lose more voters than they will gain
00:14:09.540 in opposing the supply management system.
00:14:12.060 As David Clement noted, there's a notable constituency of farmers who are very dependent
00:14:19.480 on the supply management system for delivering them over inflated profits.
00:14:24.660 And the reforms to the supply management system are scrapping the system entirely,
00:14:30.280 really seeks to potentially harm their industry, harm their way of making money,
00:14:35.740 and open them up to competition either from the United States or other places.
00:14:41.080 So I think that the supply management system, especially for the Bloc Québécois, 0.52
00:14:45.660 where over half of supply managed farms are located,
00:14:50.520 it's definitely something that the Bloc Québécois wants to support in order to gain those voters for themselves.
00:14:58.020 But when it comes to the effects that the supply management system has on Canadians in general,
00:15:04.060 it does increase the price of certain dairy products and other supply managed products.
00:15:09.080 The reason why Canadians pay for some of the most expensive milk on the planet,
00:15:14.460 a lot more expensive compared to the milk that Americans get on their store shelves,
00:15:19.440 is because of the supply management system.
00:15:22.440 Because these farmers are protected from competition,
00:15:25.800 the supply of milk and other supply managed products are artificially reduced,
00:15:31.600 therefore artificially driving up the price for these products.
00:15:35.980 And, you know, during the time in which Canadians are going through a cost of living crunch,
00:15:40.920 I don't really think it's that implausible for a Canadian political party to gain votes by opposing the supply management system,
00:15:48.600 by saying that this would be a measure to improve affordability at the grocery store.
00:15:53.860 And sure, maybe you might lose some votes from farmers if you're the Conservative Party looking at your support in rural Canada.
00:16:03.180 But you could also gain voters in other parts of the country that might not have voted for you,
00:16:09.920 but are now going to vote for you because of the renewed commitment to affordability.
00:16:15.040 I think this is also something that the NDP could look at,
00:16:17.360 since their parliamentary caucus had been completely wiped out in the last election,
00:16:23.580 they might feel as if they have to change course, change strategy,
00:16:26.940 change the type of voters who they seek to talk to,
00:16:29.940 and perhaps oppose the supply management system to gain some of those voters back that they had lost to the Liberals.
00:16:38.640 So it remains to be seen whether or not this political consensus will hold up.
00:16:43.880 But the fact that Bill C-202 had been able to pass through Parliament without an empty debate,
00:16:51.800 and with the complete support of all parties in Parliament,
00:16:55.040 really shows that we're a ways away from a Canada in which the supply management issue is on the table.
00:17:04.100 That's it for today, folks. Thanks for tuning in.
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