Number of Guns Smuggled Into Canada ‘Unknown’: Federal Briefing Note

Toronto police announced on Dec. 5, 2022, that they had seized 62 illegal guns as part of an organized crime firearms trafficking bust. (Toronto Police Handout)

Canada’s public safety department says it does not know how many guns are smuggled into the country.

In a federal briefing note obtained by Blacklock’s Reporter, the Department of Public Safety said the scope of gunrunning in Canada is “unknown.”

“Cross-border smuggling of firearms poses a threat to the safety and security of Canada,” said the note, titled “Efforts To Address Firearms Smuggling And Trafficking.”

Similar to what the department said last December when announcing $312 million in additional spending to combat gun smuggling over five years, the note stated that “the total number of firearms successfully smuggled into Canada is unknown.”

“We are providing the Canada Border Services Agency and RCMP with the tools and resources they need to combat smuggling and trafficking such as X-ray machines,” it added.

Fewer than 5,000 guns have been seized at the Canadian border in the last six years, according to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).

The Liberal cabinet told the House of Commons in a recently-tabled “Inquiry Of Ministry” that 4,770 guns have been seized by border officers since January 1, 2017, after the numbers were requested by Conservative MP Shannon Stubbs, according to Blacklock’s Reporter.

The inquiry said the confiscated guns came “mostly from non-compliant travelers attempting to retain their personal firearms while traveling.”

‘Zero Percent’

In December 2021, the CBSA issued a press release, saying a total of 908 firearms were seized at the border by October that year, with handguns being the most common type (316) being confiscated.

“The CBSA plays a key role in fighting organized crime by stopping dangerous weapons, drugs and illegal goods at the border,” the agency said.

Testifying before the Commons public safety committee on Feb. 1, Mark Weber, national president of Customs and Immigration Union, said the border screening measures for rail cargo are so ill-equipped that only a small portion of smuggled guns ever get seized.

“Perhaps most glaring of all are the rail mode operations, where, according to the union’s own data, as of 2019, only one one-millionth of all rail cargo was effectively being examined,” Weber said.

“Canada has almost zero examination capabilities directly at the border, due in part to geographical issues, inadequate tools, and political decisions not to force rail carriers to supply the necessary facilities.”

“In other words, there’s almost a zero percent chance that any illegal weapons entering the country via rail will ever be found,” he added.

Peter Wilson contributed to this report.