Crossing Into Canada with a Firearm

I have a good friend that has gone to Canada several times in the past few years. He said he drops off his pistol at a gun shop in Seattle for a cleaning and inspection before crossing the border and picks it up on the way back. He does take a Shotgun Across the border, but he said he has never felt the need for a firearm for protection from other people in Canada.

When I went there many years ago you just had to declare a shotgun or rifle at the border.