CSAAA Annual General Meeting Recap and Board Election Results

The Canadian Sporting Arms and Ammunition Association is proud to share a few updates from our recent Annual General Meeting and Board of Directors election. The AGM served not only as a moment to reflect on a year of intense advocacy and regulatory challenges but also as an opportunity to update our membership on the accomplishments that their support allows for while recognizing the businesses that help guide our work and ensure our industry’s resilience.

2025 Board of Directors Election Results

Thank you to all CSAAA members who cast their vote in the 2025 Board of Directors elections. Your active participation is crucial to our strength as an association. The Board plays a vital role in advocating for, protecting, and promoting the interests of businesses across Canada’s firearms and hunting industry.

We also extend our sincere appreciation to all the candidates who stepped forward. Your commitment to our industry and willingness to serve is deeply valued.

We are pleased to announce the results of the election:

• Adam Patterson of Big Rock Sports returns as Vice President.
• Craig McNab of Upper Canada Sports and Tyler Cuppy of Drake Sales Agency both return as Directors at Large.
• We are thrilled to welcome a new face to the CSAAA Board: Troy Flasch of Korth Group, elected as a Director at Large.

Our volunteer board of directors bring experience, dedication, and vision, and we are confident that they will continue to be a tremendous asset to both the association and the broader industry.

Please join us in congratulating and thanking them for their ongoing service.

President’s Report: A Year in Review
CSAAA has had a busy year. On a daily basis, we work behind the scenes to support businesses with licensing, transfers, shipping, import/export logistics, banking, insurance, and compliance with evolving regulations. We provide ongoing consultation to new and growing businesses, assist with succession planning, and act as a daily resource for members needing direct support.

Throughout the year, we monitored government activity and worked diligently to oppose harmful regulations, while remaining non-partisan to maintain influence across all political parties. Our communications efforts keep members informed through weekly email updates, media outreach, roundtable meetings, and partnerships with aligned organizations.

We maintained consistent communication with policymakers, CFOs, RCMP, the Canadian Firearms Program, Federal Government, Public Safety, and other key stakeholders, and continue our partnership with CFIB to deliver our members business-specific advocacy and member benefits.

Confiscation Program
CSAAA’s continued efforts in protecting and advocating for businesses in the government’s “buyback” or confiscation program, referred to officially as the Assault-Style Firearms Compensation Program have ensured a more equitable compensation model for affected businesses. This is compensation that many businesses that serve the hunting and firearms community truly could not stay operational without.

Key achievements included:

• Securing compensation for unsellable parts and accessories.
• Achieving a $250 processing fee per firearm to compensate for labour and administrative work.
• Regularly assisting businesses in navigating the claims process.
• Ensuring fair pricing so that the original and severely unfair pricing model was not used.
• Strongly advocating against the prohibitions, using data to demonstrate the program’s ineffectiveness and economic harm.

While compensation is not yet available for firearms prohibited in December 2024 and March 2025, we are actively monitoring developments with the newly established government and will continue to advocate for timely and fair outcomes. We understand that there are a lot of businesses in dire need of compensation for this now unsellable inventory and we will keep members updated on when compensation may become available.

Advocacy Updates: Shipping, Regulations & Policy Engagement
We made strides in addressing shipping issues, working with Canada Post, Transport Canada, and private couriers to improve access to ammunition and firearm shipping, especially in remote communities.

Our advocacy also resulted in continued delays to the problematic Firearms Marking Regulations, previously scheduled for enforcement in December 2024. Through persistent consultation, CSAAA helped delay this policy multiple times, protecting manufacturers and importers from undue burden.

We’ve worked to minimize the confusion of magazine and barrel rules by defining terms clearly with the help of our legal team.

CSAAA is also closely monitoring and advocating against unworkable magazine regulations that are set to come into force in the future as a result of the passing of Bill C-21.

We also became an official advisor to NRCAN, giving us a voice in explosives storage regulations. Several burdensome ammunition and explosive storage proposals were stopped thanks to our consultations, and we now have formal input on future regulatory revisions.

Gunsmithing Certification and Industry Education
Work continues on the development of an official, nationally recognized gunsmithing trade certification program. Delays have occurred, but CSAAA has established a dedicated industry advisory committee and is exploring several viable avenues to launch this important initiative in collaboration with an accredited Canadian college.

Meanwhile, we’re preparing to launch a new Industry Education Portal, a digital platform offering webinars and mini-courses on legislation, counter staff training, compliance, and more. This platform will be a vital tool for knowledge-sharing and workforce development.

Parliamentary Day at the Range
CSAAA once again supported the 12th Annual Parliamentary Day at the Range, hosted by CSSA and the Parliamentary Outdoor Caucus. The event welcomed over 130 MPs, Senators, and staffers for hands-on education about the firearms community and industry in Canada while building stronger relationships with these politicians.

Looking Ahead: 2025 Priorities
Engagement with the New Government: We’re building relationships with new members of parliament while strengthening existing ones, continuing non-partisan advocacy with Public Safety, Members of Parliament, Senate and policymakers.

Regulatory Monitoring: Our team will continue tracking legislative developments and advocating for workable, evidence-based solutions and working to minimize or eliminate the impact to businesses.

Portal and Service Enhancements: We are still working to improve the Business Web Services Portal in collaboration with the RCMP and CFP and ensure timely updates to support compliance and operational continuity.

Shipping and Logistics: We continue to push for reliable, nation-wide shipping options for all firearm-related products. We are doing this by working directly with those courriers (especially Canada Post), Transport Canada and members of parliament directly involved in shipping and business regulations in Canada.