Only new firearms from buyback program will go to Ukraine, Defence Department says

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.