Law360 Canada (September 18, 2026, 4:48 PM EDT) -- Canada’s government has created a firearms boss to serve the country’s three northern territories.
On Sept. 17, Public Safety Canada
announced that Ottawa has established a “dedicated” chief firearms officer (CFO) for the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
The new CFO “has exclusive responsibility for firearms services in all three territories and is supported by firearms officers in each territory,” states a news release.
An “open process will be run” to appoint a CFO to a permanent position — but until then, “an interim CFO from Yukon will serve the needs of all northerners,” the release states.
The appointment of a northern CFO “will enhance firearms regulatory services, outreach and engagement across the North.”
“This approach reflects the key findings of the Canadian Firearms Program’s Northern Services Review of firearms regulatory service delivery in the North, which was informed by broad engagement with territorial partners,” states the release.
The Canadian Firearms Program, which is governed by the federal
Firearms Act, oversees licensing and registration, maintains national training standards, assists law enforcement and enhances public safety.
Chief firearms officers are responsible for administering the Act in their respective jurisdictions. They are able to refuse licence applications and are responsible for authorizing firearms transport.
Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree commented on the appointment of a northern CFO.
“We have heard from our territorial partners and northern firearm owners on the critical need for a northern [CFO] to better respond to the needs of northern communities regarding geography, governance and cultural sensitivity,” said Anandasangaree in a statement. “This appointment will not only improve services in the territories, but also promote community and firearms safety.”
Yukon Justice Minister Laura Lang sees it as good news for her territory.
“I welcome the announcement from Public Safety Canada to at long last appoint a [CFO] for the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut,” said Lang in a
statement. “Our government has consistently advocated on behalf of Yukon and northern firearm owners for a CFO and accompanying federal investment, and for the position to be based in Whitehorse.”
Lang said the CFO role will include overseeing licensing, facilitating transfers of illegal guns, granting authorizations for “transport and carry,” inspecting and approving shooting ranges, and delivering the Canadian Firearms Safety Course and Canadian Restricted Firearms Safety Course.
“Over the last several years and during various public discussions held this summer on forthcoming Yukon firearms legislation, the creation of a Yukon-based CFO was a theme we heard consistently from many Yukon firearm owners, in addition to a desire for continued advocacy in opposition to the federal Assault-Style Firearms Compensation Program.”
(The federal compensation program is a controversial, amnesty-based initiative allowing owners of firearms that have been reclassified as illegal to turn them in and receive financial compensation in return. Many jurisdictions, including Yukon, have pushed against the program, insisting it unjustly punishes legal gun owners.)
Lang also said the establishment of a CFO will go far in reflecting the role firearms play in northern cultures.
“We look forward to continuing this advocacy by advancing territorial firearms legislation. We will ensure legislation reflects the fact that activities like hunting, trapping, target shooting and shooting sports, and being on the land, are not just recreation; they are core parts of northern culture, livelihoods and, in many communities, integral to meeting survival and nutritional needs,” said Lang.
Yukon has one of the largest Indigenous populations in Canada. According to the Yukon Bureau of Statistics, 22.3 per cent of the territory’s population identified themselves as Indigenous for the 2021 census.
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