The Ben Mulroney Show - Liberal gun buyback program -- are we criminalizing Canadians for... what?

Episode Date: September 25, 2025

- Andrew Scheer/ Conservative House Leader If you enjoyed the podcast, tell a friend! For more of the Ben Mulroney Show, subscribe to the podcast! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://link.chtbl.com/bms⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Also, on youtube -- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@BenMulroneyShow⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow Ben on Twitter/X at https://x.com/BenMulroney Insta: ⁠@benmulroneyshow⁠ Twitter: ⁠@benmulroneyshow⁠ TikTok: ⁠@benmulroneyshow⁠ Enjoy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This podcast is brought to you by the National Payroll Institute, the leader for the payroll profession in Canada, setting the standard of professional excellence, delivering critical expertise, and providing resources that over 45,000 payroll professionals rely on. Hey, thanks, son. What do I owe you? Don't worry about it. It's payday. Payday, huh? I bet you it went straight into your bank account and you didn't even check your pay stuff. My what? Your pay stuff. Back in my day, you had to wait for a physical check. Then you had to go to the bank. Deposit it, and wait for it to clear.

Your pay really meant something. Payroll is incredibly complex. It's art and the science. It literally keeps the economy moving. Payroll professionals do a lot for us. You know, it's about time we do something for them. How about we ask our leaders to name a day in their honor, a national day to recognize payroll professionals?

I got it. This is perfect. Why don't we explain to people just how important the roles are professionals play in our lives. We can even ask them to sign a petition. We can even ask them to sign a petition to recognize the third Tuesday in September as the National Day to recognize payroll professionals. We'll rally support and bring the payroll party to the nation. National payroll party? Precisely. Sounds like a plan. You know, just one thing. What's that? I'm choosing the music. What? And I'm sitting in the backseat. The whole way? The whole way.

Did you lock the front door? Check. Close the garage door? Yep. sensors, smoke sensors, and HD cameras with night vision? No. I... And you set up credit card transaction alerts, a secure VPN for a private connection, and continuous monitoring for our personal info on the dark web? Uh, I'm looking into it. Stress less about security.

Choose security solutions from TELUS for peace of mind at home and online. Visit tellus.com slash total security to learn more. Conditions apply. Welcome to the Wednesday edition of the Ben Mulroney show. It's Wednesday, September 24th. We appreciate you wherever you find us. I was saying a little bit earlier today that if Mark Carney is the human embodiment of the resiliency of the liberal brand,

then what does that mean about our public safety minister, Gary, Ananda Sangaree? what what what what what what is he because he's been having a pretty bad few months he's given this he's given this portfolio where he's in charge of public safety and as it relates to um you know terrorists and um yeah all manner of all manner of issue and one of the first things that happens is uh he has to recuse himself from a whole bunch of terrorist files. And that was, and that was terrible. He had to recuse himself because he allegedly wrote letters on behalf of some of these people who, I guess, were members of a terrorist organization.

That's not a good look. That's not a good look. But he set up a, he set up a Chinese wall so that he could still do his job, except on the file of the Tamil Tigers. and then over the weekend there was a leaked audio of a conversation he had with a tenant in I guess a building he owns and the conversation turned to the liberal government's buyback program of all sorts of guns and he didn't know he was being recorded and if you don't know you're being recorded then you're probably more apt to tell the truth and what we got from Anandisangery was

was the unvarnished truth as he saw it of this gun buyback program, which I suspect is part of his portfolio. He said, it's cost too much. It's not going to solve any crimes. It's not going to make anyone safer. But these things matter in Quebec. And so we're doing it there. And the implication was because that's where the votes are.

So not a very good few months for Ananda Sangaree. And I just don't know how long, how much longer he lasts, Mike Droulet. Ha, you have to wonder, they just, three ministers just stepped away from caucus and they say that they're going to be leaving. That's a big deal. And yet he sticks around. He's had, I've never heard of a public safety minister with so many, like, check marks on them. Yeah. Well, he said his response, he said the conversation was private and recorded without consent.

Admit some comments were, quote, misguided, but insists he, he, fundamentally believes in the program and remains committed to implementing it. So this is the worst of all worlds for a politician. You are credited with telling the truth, but the truth is that your policy is a sham. He said he would have done it differently. Yeah, well. Well, I think we all would have, but sure. I mean, because they spent $67 million without actually getting a single gun.

Yeah. And they're and they've budgeted $750 million for this thing. Which gun advocates are like, that's a joke. It's going to be way, way, way more. Oh, of course. Name one government program that came in under budget. Don't you remember? I mean, we were talking earlier about the billion-dollar boondoggle of the last time that they tried to do the buyback.

I don't believe I ever use the word boondoggle, ever until like the past 10 years. Yeah. And I'm not suggesting there weren't boondoggles before Justin Trudeau. It just wasn't a word that was used and ascribed to government waste. Okay, so let's listen to Mr. Ananda Sangaree talking about this gun buyback program because people can't make heads or tails of it. They don't know whether it is voluntary or if it is as the force of law. What if you keep one of your guns that is on the list that the liberals have put forth? Let's listen.

This program is voluntary. Nobody is having their weapon confiscated. people who use rifles to hunt can still hunt if you want to purchase a hunting rifle there are 19,000 legal options available in the Canadian market an AR-15 is not one of those options nor should it be one of those options

poor Gary like I'm actually quite empathetic towards him because he appears to be a very kind man and he just looks like he's going to cry all the time like he's having a really tough really tough day So, okay, so that was Gary and Onda Sangaree saying that this is voluntary. No one's coming for your guns. It's okay. If you decide to keep your guns, that's going to be fine.

However, another MP in the caucus, what's her name, Natalie Provost, had a different take. But the policeman is not knocking at every door to check what is in the end of each Canadian. They are seized when they are moved when there's an even. So it would be the same. But all of the people in possession of one of the weapon that has been banned since 2020 and will not participate in the compensation program will have an illegal gun in its position, and that's a criminal act. That's a criminal act.

You will have an illegal gun in your possession, and that's a criminal act. By definition, that would make you a criminal. Yeah. So people will be criminalized for doing what the Minister of Public Safety said they're allowed to do. Like that's really... It's voluntary. It's voluntary. No one's coming for your guns.

So what we're doing is we're taking guns that aren't being used in crimes and we are turning the simple possession of those guns into a crime. So you're taking, by definition, law-abiding citizens and you're turning them into criminals and you're using their tax dollars to do it. Well, that's great. That's great. So this is, this is, I don't know whether they're coming or going here. I, I, make it make sense. The most amazing thing is that there's 2,000 assault rifles, more than that, that have been banned to date. And have we seen a decrease in violent crime in, in gun crimes, especially in the city of Toronto?

Well, if I decrease, you mean increase, then yes, we've seen a decrease. Yes, if you change the word. Well, we're living in a world where silence is violence, so why not? Yeah. So somebody had to ask the prime minister because the buck stops with this prime minister. And you know, despite all of my issues with this government, I do believe that he is running a ship where he's the guy in charge. And so when he speaks, it has the force of relatively the force of law. So the government was asked, I'm sorry, he was asked what the government's stance was on this program.

And on Anandis Angry. How can you have confidence in a minister that says one thing privately and another thing publicly in the House of Commons? Well, let me, let's first put this in context, which is that we're talking about fulfilling a campaign promise. We ran on this, first and foremost. And so the minister is doing important work. You still have confidence in it? I have confidence in the minister. He's doing important work. He's got a lot of important work this session of parliament, including,

legislation on borders and others. Thank you. I have confidence in the fact that he's doing a lot of work. Okay. Does that sound like a vote of confidence? No, it does not. Sounds like a man who is trying to figure out a way not to say what he really thought in that moment.

But you need to know that we cut out 45 seconds in the middle. Because 48 seconds, I'm sorry. 48 seconds of the prime minister going back and forth, trying to thread that needle, trying to square that circle. not answering the question. And not answering. He didn't want to answer the question about him. So he went on and on about the purpose of the of the law and how it was put in by past in

parliamentary sessions and went on and on and on. And then he's like, oh yeah. And yeah, but he's got a lot of work. But can we, can we at least all agree that before before a law becomes a law, the government that is in charge of that law should know whether the. impact of that law is going to turn somebody into a criminal or not? You'd think so. Like, I think that's a pretty basic thing.

You write the law. You take our money to, uh, to enforce the law, but you can't tell me if I, if I listen to the law, or if I don't listen to the law, am I going to be a criminal or not? I think, I think you guys have to go back and figure out what exactly you're trying to do here and, and then, and then work backwards. Whether or not you agree with a gun buyback or not, I think we can all agree that when you criminalize people for not actually committing a crime,

there's a problem there. Correct. You are correct, my friend. Thank you very much. All right. There are conservatives taking it easy on the... Are the conservatives taking it easy on our beleaguered minister of public safety? I don't think so.

That's coming up next on the Ben Mulready show. During the Volvo Fall Experience event, discover exceptional offers and thoughtful design that leaves plenty of room for autumn adventures. And see for yourself how Volvo's legendary safety brings peace of mind to every crisp morning commute. This September, lease a 26 XE90 plug-in hybrid from $599 bi-weekly at 3.99% during the Volvo Fall Experience event. Condition supply, visit your local Volvo retailer or go to explorevolvo.com. Td Bank knows that running a small business is a journey, from startup to growing and managing your business. That's why they have a dedicated small business advice hub on their website to provide tips and insights on business banking to entrepreneurs. No matter the stage of business you're in, visit td.com slash small business advice to find out more or to match with a TD small business banking account manager.

Welcome back to the Ben Mulroney Show. Welcome back to Wednesday. Thank you so much for being here. Let's open up the phone lines. Give us a call here at the Ben Mulroney show. I would love to get your take on the gun buyback program. Pardon? Yeah, and on our minister of public safety.

I'm blanking. Yes, Minister of Public Safety. Gary, Ananda Sangaree. And he's just not having a very, he's having a tough time finding his footing and I'd love to hear from you what do you think should happen here and what do you make

of a politician being recorded surreptitiously I do not endorse that I do not endorse that at all but telling us what he really thinks of the policy how can he even be in charge of this policy honestly how can he be in charge of the policy this is a policy

that has nearly a billion dollar budget $750 million budget that he doesn't believe in he said as much he said it's going to cost too much it's not going to do anything to solve crime and we're only really doing it because there's votes in Quebec that we need to secure

so like that's that's my question how is he still in charge of this thing you got to have someone in charge who believes in the mission let's welcome George to the Ben Mulrooney show thanks so much for calling hey good morning Ben I mean with it

There's nothing different. I don't know what to tell people. Either you're a stupid voter and you voted the liberals in again. Carney just picked up where Trudeau left three, four years ago. He's seen people who were getting aggressive with a gun buyback, all the hunters and the legal people who know how to own guns. And they put it aside in the back burner. Carney brought it out again.

It's the same liberals. Guys, do we have a Banana Republic's government here? Who are these elected officials? They're talking about problems, hospitals, crime, legislation. We voted people in. They voted all our problems in, in the government, in legislation, in law. They gave us these freaking problems. You know what?

Listen, that's a narrative that I beat pretty hard during the last election campaign. Not enough Canadians believed it. And so as far as I'm concerned, I'm not really going to prosecute that as much anymore as I did during the election because Canadians, enough Canadians said, we don't care. We still trust this guy to fix it. I don't buy that. I'm sorry. I don't know what happened there how the media spun everything

The helicopter This guy is This medici that came in Of the nowhere I'm gonna leave it there with you man Because we're losing you The connection was Got really bad there

Oh we got Andrew Scheer Oh fantastic So we were having a little bit of difficulty Getting that organized right now But now very pleased to have the House leader for the Conservatives And former conservative leader himself Andrew Shear joining us

to talk about this very same topic. Mr. Shear, welcome to the Ben Mulroney Show. Good morning, Ben. So talk to me about how the conservative party sees this gun buyback program. And I was just musing it. I don't understand how this minister can be in charge of this project when he's gone. Well, he didn't go on the record that he was surreptitiously recorded. But he has made his feelings known that he doesn't believe that this is going to do anything for the end goals that are.

stated. Well, you know, I agree with the Gary that was caught on tape. Yeah. When he's towing the party line and regurgitating liberal talking points, he says one thing, but, you know, when he's letting his guard down and actually being honest with someone, he admits that this program will not work. This is going to be $750 million that could have gone to more border guards to stop illegal guns and illegal drugs. It could have put, you know, more police officers on the street, could have gone to the border service agents who have to deport foreign criminals who, the minister admitted that he's lost 600 criminals who have no right to be in Canada, but now are at large. So, you know, when when you look at the amount of money

that's being spent on a program that now the minister admits won't work, it's extremely frustrating because not only will taxpayers have their money wasted, but all these other areas that could have been straight, that now are not, makes our communities less safe. So I don't know how this minister still has his job. I don't know why Mark Carney is keeping him in his post. Well, I've got to say, Mr. Shear, that for years, whenever the anniversary of the massacre at the Polytechnique would come up, the Liberal Party would find their way to Montreal and put their hand on their heart.

And then they would politicize that tragedy and try to take more guns away. And look, I'm not a guy who needs a single gun in my life. And I'm sure that at some point there were certain guns that needed to be taken off the road. But I saw it time and time and time again, and I thought, this is very curious. Why do they keep doing this? And then so to hear Anandesangery say, well, it's because this means a lot in Quebec and we're out there getting the votes. To me, it's deeply cynical. It's a very deeply cynical ploy to use the tragedy for their own political means.

Well, I agree 100%. you know, it's such crass politics to use a very public tragedy, innocent lives lost, families shattered, and then to say we're going to use that as a political backdrop to, you know, promote an ideological agenda that will not actually increase safety. You're absolutely right. It's very cynical. It's very crass. And it, but again, you know, when you look at what this government has done, as it relates to public safety as it relates to shootings and killings, they let, they let repeat and dangerous offenders out all the time. The liberals brought in legislation that forces judges to grant bail

to dangerous and repeat offenders. That is putting women at risk. Illegal firearms that are trafficked into Canada and this government has not hired the new border agents that they promised in the campaign. That puts women at risk. So when you talk to police officers, you know, it's almost virtually unanimity on this that overwhelmingly, close to 100% of the firearms used in crime are illegal firearms. And what this minister has now admitted is that they're putting $750 million into a program that will work at the same time letting those dangerous people go out. So for women, for anyone in Canada who's concerned about firearms, ending human lives,

taking innocent lives the liberal approach will not work they know that they are admitting at the conservative approach of cracking down on the traffickers and the gangsters that has been proven to work and is that uh i only have about a minute left with you sir but is that is that what you're going to be trying to do in in the house of commons are there some procedures that you can use to your advantage to i don't know change this this policy what what what's so what weapons do you have your quiver? Well, we are going to be proposing laws that put the rights of innocent victims ahead of the rights of criminals. So bail reform is absolutely something that our leader, Pierre Polly, of undoing those liberal changes. We put forward legislation to have a three strikes in your

out rule, three serious offenses, and someone gets a minimum of 10 years in prison. So we are absolutely going to be pushing on real justice reforms that will take illegal guns off the street and those dangerous and repeat offenders behind bars longer. Conservative House Leader Andrew Shear, thank you very much for being here and enjoy the rest of your week, sir. Thank you very much, Ben. All right, we got time for one last call, and he's been waiting patiently this.

We've got Brian here. Brian, welcome to the show. Hey, Ben, how are you today? I'm good, thanks. Good, man. Yeah, I just wanted to call in and weigh in as a gun owner. I'm super happy to hear a lot of this talk coming on the media. you know we all we all kind of knew what the liberal government was doing here with these gun bans

that it was strictly for voters and people that didn't really know anything about it um but uh you know i'm kind of shocked to see it going forward i i are you shocked i mean everyone they've been able to do this for 10 years i'm not sure i'm i'm not shocked i'm i'm shocked that they did this before doing anything on bail reform or on criminal justice reform or any of that of course of course But, I mean, you know, this has been something they've been kind of wafting on for five years now. So I kind of expected them just to keep on wafting until the conservatives got in and got rid of it. And then we kind of repeat the cycle next time liberals come in. But, you know, it's funny at all the ranges that I'm a member at, the majority of the guys I shoot with,

we all have guns that have been added to the list. And the majority of us just say, you know, there's no way. There's no way I'm going to sell it for, you know, 60% of what it's worth, one, and then two, for what? You know, we'll never have it again. If we lose it, we'll never get it back. But here's the thing. If you are a criminal in the eyes of the liberal government, that's okay because you'll get bail. I thank you very much, my friend.

You have a great day. Thanks, Ben. Canada's oil sands produce the energy the world needs, but it's the benefits that flow to all parts of our country, like hundreds of thousands of jobs in oil and gas and along the supply chain, and revenue to invest in roads, bridges, our national defense, and more. You see, we're building more than a strong oil sands sector. We're helping to build a stronger Canada.

We're Pathways Alliance, six of Canada's largest oil sands companies working together to help grow Canada's economy. Learn more at Pathwaysalliance.ca.