OTTAWA — The Liberal government's plan to send firearms from its buyback program to the battlefield in Ukraine will only include unused weapons, the Department of National Defence says.
A department spokesperson says Ukraine gave Canada a list of 23 types of firearms that could be useful in its war against Russia, but the official would not specify the makes and models.
Only sending Ukraine new weapons collected from companies means the department would not have to inspect them for safety or maintenance first.
The Liberal government announced the initiative last week, but revealed few details of its plan.
Defence Minister Bill Blair has said it's too soon to say just how many of what Ottawa calls "assault-style firearms" Canada will be able to send to the war-torn nation.
The grace period granting amnesty for possession of any of the thousands of prohibited firearms will end Oct. 30, 2025.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 12, 2024.
Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press