Minister says government launching review of firearms classification regime

OTTAWA — Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree says the federal government is launching a review of Canada’s firearms classification regime that will include consultations with Indigenous communities on the SKS rifle.

The government has been heavily criticized by gun control advocates for not including the semi-automatic SKS in its list of banned firearms.

The SKS is commonly used in Indigenous communities to hunt for food and has also been used in police killings and other high-profile shootings in recent years.

PolySeSouvient, a gun control organization formed after the 1989 mass shooting at Montreal’s École Polytechnique, has asked Ottawa to prohibit the weapon but include an exemption for Indigenous hunters who use the rifle primarily for sustenance.

Anandasangaree says in a news release the classification review will take a broad view of the legal framework for firearms, ammunition and magazines while emphasizing simplicity and consistency.

The review fulfils a recommendation made more than two years ago by the Mass Casualty Commission, which examined the shooting spree in rural Nova Scotia in April 2020 that saw a gunman kill 22 people over several hours.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 5, 2025.