Canada will not supply firearms to Ukraine: Here’s why
Illustrative photo: most of the weapons Canada intended to transfer to Ukraine were found to be unsuitable (Getty Images)
Canada will not transfer to Ukraine weapons that are prohibited under its local laws and were collected as part of the national buyback program. The reason is that most of these weapons are unsuitable for combat use, according to The Defense Post.
For the first time, the proposal to transfer such weapons was announced at the end of 2023. At that time, under a government decision by former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the list of prohibited firearms was expanded from 1,500 to over 2,500 models.
After the initiative was announced, Ottawa promised to assist in selecting weapons, and Ukraine expressed interest in receiving a small batch.
However, it later turned out that most of the weapons were not suitable by NATO standards. Following this, the government of Mark Carney decided to cancel the plan.
The Office of the Canadian Minister of Public Safety, Gary Anandasangaree, confirmed that the initiative to transfer confiscated weapons to Ukraine had indeed been canceled, noting that it was not a "practical or effective way" to provide support.
At the same time, the Canadian government emphasized that this decision would not affect its overall support for Ukraine.
Since the start of the full-scale war, this support has amounted to about 22 billion Canadian dollars (15.8 billion USD), of which 6.5 billion Canadian dollars (4.6 billion USD) was military assistance.
Canada’s assistance to Ukraine
In August 2025, Canada announced a new package of military aid for Ukraine. It will include air defense systems, armored vehicles, ammunition, drones, and electronic warfare equipment.
Earlier, Canada provided support to Ukraine in replacing damaged energy equipment and infrastructure. Over 15 million USD were allocated for the restoration of energy infrastructure damaged by enemy shelling.
For more details on the aid Ukraine has received from Canada since the start of the full-scale war, see the RBC-Ukraine report.
