I don't know the situation in Canada, but I'd imagine that you'd use firearms for hunting and for defense, if you choose to include firearms in your preparation plan. Practically speaking, it may not take TEOWAWKI to use a firearm. During this last and continuing economic depression, for example, some families have hunted more frequently to put some meat on the table, according to a public radio show. (What a sad thing that is!)

But I do have questions for our Canadian brethren: how easy/hard is it to get quality firearms training (beyond basic safety & handling)? I've noticed that some states in the US have lots of good firearms courses; others, not so much. (Interestingly enough, this doesn't seem to correspond to state law or politics -- but that sort of stuff is not for discussion on this forum. I just want to point out that politics doesn't seem to be a big factor.) If you have to fly somewhere for four days to take a course, that will add potentially a thousand dollars to your expenses.

I'm thinking about this because training makes a HUGE difference. In the words of Col. Jeff Cooper: "You are no more armed because you own a gun than you are a musician because you own a piano. The instrument is not the answer; the skill to use the instrument is the answer." People who buy guns for "home use" without training are virtually naked. (Note that a part of training includes acquiring some legal knowledge about firearms usage, so you won't get arrested for "unsafe storing of firearms.")

A big problem is that anything beyond the basic safety course is quite expensive. You're often looking at $400-$800 for a three-day course. Then there's ammo cost. And there's the cost of maintaining firearms skills, which are perishable if you don't practice. And then you need to take more than one course...