𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗔𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱 : 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱

To our valued members,

As 2024 comes to a close, we take a moment to reflect on the challenges, accomplishments, and milestones that we have seen this year for CSAAA and Canada’s hunting and firearms industry.

It’s no surprise that 2024 has been a tough year for the businesses in our community. Many businesses continue to grapple with financial hardships, an uncertain economy, and of course, the severe impacts of the unfair and unworkable regulations and prohibitions introduced over the past five years. These challenges have created a difficult environment for our industry, but your resilience and dedication remain unwavering.

Despite the obstacles, we found moments to celebrate. In early 2024, we recognized three exceptional individuals from Alberta, Canada at our Legends Banquet in Stony Plain, Alberta: Bob MacDonald of Cariboo Outdoors, Dianne Harnois of P&D Enterprises, and Paul Simms of Westcan Marketing. These Legends events unite our community, honour the contributions of our industry mentors, and raise critical funds to support CSAAA’s advocacy and work. We are deeply grateful to everyone who donated, participated, and supported these efforts and the event.

In May, the Legend Dealer Day at the CHAS Genesee Range provided a platform for manufacturers and distributors to educate dealers on the latest products. This hands-on event allowed participants to try out new equipment such as optics, ammunition, airguns, shotguns and rifles while networking meaningfully across the industry. We were also joined by notable representatives, including Dr. Teri Bryant, the Alberta CFO, who shared insights and engaged with attendees.

CSAAA continues to advocate tirelessly on behalf of our members all across the board. This year, we pushed the Canadian Firearms Program to address challenges with the Business Web Services (BWS) portal. While the system is still far from perfect, improvements, including on-call services during after hours outages, have been implemented thanks to CSAAA’s advocacy. We remain committed to working with CFP to minimizing disruptions and improving services for our businesses.

We were also able to amend our federal contract regarding the firearms confiscation or “buyback” program. CSAAA’s role has shifted to strictly consulting, ensuring we can advocate for fair compensation and protect businesses from the overwhelming administrative burdens brought on by this program.

CSAAA’s contract, allowing us to consult on behalf of businesses, and our persistent efforts have been essential in securing fair compensation and supporting businesses through these challenges. Without CSAAA’s involvement, businesses would be facing overwhelming administrative burdens and extremely inadequate compensation for their unsellable inventory, leaving many at risk of closure and job loss.

Our work has provided a lifeline for some businesses, helping them to remain viable and protecting jobs and livelihoods across the industry. This contract has allowed us to build even more credibility with all of the political parties and strengthen our relationships across the board.

Our ongoing consultation with the Director General of Firearms Policy has enabled us to stay informed about new policy, and provide input on upcoming regulations. This includes raising concerns about the lack of consultation on rules affecting firearms businesses Canada wide. We’re proud to now serve as a primary consultant for future regulations that impact our industry and it’s consumers. We also remain in constant communication with the firearms friendly Chief Firearms Officers in Alberta and Saskatchewan, allowing us to work together to support the industry as much as possible.

CSAAA held its Annual General Meeting and 2024 board of directors elections as well, welcoming two new board members, Warren Pickard from Cariboo Outdoors and Ryan Stern with Westcan Marketing and welcoming back Kyle Carruthers from Graywood Sporting Group for another term.

CSAAA has also continued it’s Quarterly Roundtables, offering virtual meetings that invite all business members to participate while offering important updates on regulatory changes, industry concerns, and developments affecting firearms businesses and allowing business members to ask questions and make constructive comments.

As we look to 2025, we are excited to honour the Quebec Industry Legends: the late Michel Gravel of Gravel Agency, Rudy Vendittelli of Dante Sports, and Robert Nicholls of R. Nicholls Distributors Inc., at our banquet in Laval, Quebec, this coming February.

We anticipate brighter times ahead, particularly with the upcoming federal election. CSAAA will continue working with the hopeful new governing party to ensure important changes are made and that new regulations are fair, practical, and supportive of our industry.

To our members, we cannot thank you enough for your unwavering support during this challenging year. Your dedication enables us to continue advocating for and protecting Canada’s firearms and hunting industries. Together, we look forward to a better 2025 and beyond.

The CSAAA Team