This article is a prime example of the diminished journalistic integrity within this country and here are the following reasons as to why. Air rifles/pellet guns, BB guns, and other immitation rifles are also considered firearms under canadian law. How many immitation rifles are considered in this quota? No one knows and that fact was conveniently left out.
Nothing is said about how many were stollen and how many were used by licensed PAL holders during a crime. All that is said, is that they were traced back to canadian origin, but this is a broad term.
If a police officer witnesses a firearm at a crime scene, they will attempt to trace the firearm using the serial number, even if the firearm was not used in the crime itself. This also counts towards traces. If a firearm that was actually used in a crime, does not have a serial number, it will not count towards the trace quota.
What is a “crime gun”. Is it a firearm used in a murder, a theft, firearms that were improperly stored, or firearms which were stored in a safe and confiscated due to the death of the PAL holder?
What is a crime gun? Is it a gun that was used in a murder, robbery, improperly stored, or confiscated from a household where the PAL holder died?
They excluded Ontario and Quebec from the data. 2 provinces with close proximity to smuggling networks.
TLDR: article is worded to mislead people and is likely an attempt to use a falsely trumped up wedge issue to divide voters. Who is paying for these articles?

And if I can say something, this is a likely a political stunt done very close to a Supreme Court hearing on the gun grabs in Canada that haven't yielded any results.

Also the exclusion of Ontario and Quebec is HUGE. These are the more populous provenances in addition to them being closest to firearm smuggling rings.