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In the recorded conversation,聽Anandasangaree said he would have done things differently if he could start over, and offered to pay the difference between the value of the man’s now-banned guns and the money the government pays him, or to bail him out if he is arrested for non-compliance, while asserting that police don’t have the resources to enforce the ban.

Accompanied by several caucus colleagues, Anandasangaree told reporters Tuesday that his personal offers to the man were a “bad attempt at humour.” He said his comments about taking a different approach to the buyback program were meant to convey his belief that it should have been implemented faster after the firearms in question were banned in 2020, and that he brought up Quebec because Quebecers have experienced several mass shootings in recent decades.

“There’s a lot of frustration amongst Canadians, amongst those who’ve been impacted, that this has taken far too long,” Anandasangaree said, flanked Liberal MPs including Nathalie Provost, the secretary of state for nature and a survivor of the 1989 脡cole Polytechnique massacre.

“You cannot be serious about being tough on crime if you’re not willing to be tough on guns,” he said. “This program is part of that solution. We know that. Canadians know that, and Canadians support us on this.”

In a technical briefing, senior government officials said the program is designed to collect and destroy nearly 180,000 banned firearms, and indicated there was a “compliance plan” that would remind registered gun owners about their duty to participate.

At Tuesday’s announcement,聽Anandasangaree was asked what would happen to gun owners who refuse to comply, and whether he expects police forces to go after those who haven’t surrendered their firearms once the buyback program is over.

“Nobody is being forced,” Anandasangaree said. “I have every confidence that law-abiding citizens, first of all, will ensure compliance with the law. Secondly, I also have every confidence that law enforcement will be able to do their job and to ensure the implementation of the Criminal Code.

After聽Anandasangaree’s recorded聽comments surfaced Monday, he released a statement saying he unequivocally supported the buyback program, which he described as critical to combating crime and getting guns off the streets.

鈥淥n Sunday, I had a conversation with an individual I have known for many years, who recorded it without my knowledge before it was distributed by a gun lobbyist,鈥� he wrote. 鈥淚 make a point to speak with Canadians who do not support our approach, to listen to their concerns and ensure they understand their options in this voluntary buyback program. In trying to address this individual鈥檚 frustrations, my comments were misguided.鈥�

The recording drew fierce criticism from both sides of the gun debate, with Conservatives charging it was proof the policy was a political ploy while gun control advocates said the comments were “divisive” and downplayed support for the program.

Ahead of the announcement, gun-control group PolySeSouvient slammed the government for not banning the SKS firearm, saying the policy “is at risk of being a waste of taxpayers’ money” if Ottawa doesn’t take further action. Federal officials on Tuesday did not rule out banning the weapon, saying work is ongoing to identify if other types of guns match the criteria under which 2,500 models were banned.