Mr. Speaker, in reply to the hon. member's question, I am pleased to rise to discuss our government's commitments to strengthen gun control and to address gun violence in Canada. The safety of Canadians is the number one priority for this government and we are taking decisive action to stop the increase in gun violence at our borders and in our communities across Canada.
The Ruger Mini-14 used by Marc Lépine at École Polytechnique, the Beretta CX4 Storm used at Dawson College by Kimveer Gill and the CZ858 used by Richard Henry Bain at the Metropolis nightclub are assault-style weapons that have marked Canadian history.
The government feels that the significant risk posed by these assault-style firearms in no way justifies keeping them in Canadian communities. Since 2020, it has banned approximately 2,500 makes and models of firearms. These are firearms that are not suitable for hunting or sport and that exceed safe civilian use.
Getting these guns off our streets is in line with the recommendations of the mass casualty commission, which advocates banning assault weapons and rapidly reducing the number of weapons in circulation. These weapons can no longer be used. It only makes sense that our government would want to fairly compensate people who owned these weapons. I would also like to point out that 19,000 other models of firearms will remain available.
As of April 30, under the assault-style firearms compensation program, more than 12,000 prohibited firearms had been collected from businesses and then destroyed. Now, our government has announced that it is moving forward with the program for individual owners. We are starting with a pilot project in Cape Breton. The program will then open to all eligible owners across the country with a declaration period in the fall of 2025, followed by a collection and compensation period in early 2026.
However, no single program can stop gun violence on its own. That is why the compensation program is being rolled out alongside several other measures. The government's comprehensive plan to combat gun crime includes funding to build safe communities and to help stop gun and gang violence. It also includes strengthening our borders, where we have committed to adding resources to combat firearms trafficking and smuggling to prevent them from entering Canada.
Since 2016, our government has invested more than $1.4 billion in targeted initiatives. This includes more than $560 million to equip the RCMP and the CBSA with state-of-the-art tools to detect smuggled firearms, including the type of firearms used in the Portapique shooting.
Last summer, our government announced that detectors, drones and helicopters would be deployed at the border, along with additional staff and canine units. This will greatly increase law enforcement's ability to detect and seize firearms and prohibited weapons. Together, our efforts are preventing firearms from being diverted to the black market, where they would be misused to commit crimes.
Through these initiatives, our government is taking meaningful steps to make Canada less vulnerable to gun violence while being fair to responsible, law-abiding owners and businesses.