About the program
"Red Flag" Awareness Initiative 2025

Background

Firearm-related harm, including family violence, gender-based violence, and intimate partner violence (IPV) can have long-lasting and negative health, social, and economic effects that span generations.

Intimate partner homicide also remains a highly gendered form of crime, with women accounting for 8 in 10 (79.5%) of those killed by a partner from 2014 and 2020, or one woman every 6 days. Furthermore, firearm-related IPV is five times more likely to be lethal than types of IPV not involving a firearm. Suicide is another important dimension when preventing firearms harm. Firearm-related suicide has made up approximately 75% of all firearm deaths between 2000 and 2022.

In response to these trends, "Red Flag" laws were introduced after former Bill C-21 received Royal Assent in December 2023. These laws include an "emergency prohibition order", an "emergency limitations on access order", and related provisions in the Criminal Code. While these laws are informed by trends in firearm-related gender-based violence, they may also be applicable in other situations where someone's access to firearms may pose a risk to themselves or others. This includes in situations where there is a risk of coercive control, homicide, suicide, and more. Protections available through "Red Flag" laws can be accessed by anyone by making an application to a local court.

Public Safety Canada is inviting eligible organizations to apply for funding to support projects which help distribute and socialize information on "Red Flag" laws to individuals and/or supporting organizations.

Objectives

The objective of this call for proposals is to raise awareness of "Red Flag" laws, which were introduced by former Bill C-21 in December 2023.

Funded projects would help provide information on "Red Flag" laws to those at risk of firearm-related harm and relevant supporting organizations, including:

  • how individuals can apply to their local court for an emergency prohibition order or emergency limitation on access order
  • what protections are available when making an application
  • other ways the "Red Flag" law operates to help prevent firearm-related harm

Target audiences include victims, marginalized groups, and those most at risk of various forms of firearm-related harm, including women, Indigenous peoples, other racialized communities, and people experiencing mental health conditions and/or thoughts of suicide.

Available Funding

Funding is limited to $100,000 per recipient, per fiscal year. A total of $2.0 million is available in 2025-26 and $2.8 million is available in 2026-27 for this call for proposals.

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