OTTAWA
26/08/2019 – Ruby Sahota, Member of Parliament for Brampton North, alongside her Brampton colleagues, MP Kamal Khera, MP Sonia Sidhu, and MP Ramesh Sangha, believe that Canadians have the right to feel safe in their communities and that it is the responsibility of all governments to keep them safe. Gun and gang activity in Brampton has become a growing concern affecting the quality of life in neighbourhoods and how people live their lives. The Government of Canada is taking action to combat gun and gang violence in communities by investing in the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence across Canada.
Today, the Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction, the Honourable Bill Blair, announced $54 million over three years in funding to support Ontario’s Guns, Gangs and Violence Reduction Strategy (GGVRS). This funding is in addition to the $11 million over two years announced in March, bringing the total investment over the five-year initiative to $65 million.
This support will help the province continue its work on the GGVRS and continue to deliver province-wide initiatives focussing on the prevention, intervention, enforcement, and prosecution of gun and gang violence in communities. The funding received from the Federal Liberal Government will specifically target initiatives that stop and address violent criminal activity before it starts, and provide exit strategies for youth already involved in gang activity.
“The residents of Brampton have the right to feel safe in their community and it is the responsibility of all governments to keep them safe. We’re seeing more gun and gang violence on our streets than when I was a kid growing up in Brampton,” said MP Sahota. “Our government is committed to protecting Canadians by 1) making a crime harder to commit; 2) making it more likely that criminals will be caught; and 3) ensuring there are appropriate penalties in place so that we are holding offenders accountable for their blatant and reckless disregard of the law.”
HOUSE OF COMMONS CHAMBRES DES COMMUNES CANADA
RUBY SAHOTA
Member of Parliament – Brampton North Députée – Brampton Nord
Quotes
“Ensuring the safety and security of Canadians is an issue our government takes seriously. We are making this substantial investment in Ontario to help fight gun and gang violence. All of us want our children growing up in communities that are safe and resilient. The Government of Canada is committed to working with all provinces and territories in supporting the work done by community partners and law enforcement who know how best to tackle gun and gang activity in their own communities. Today’s investment ensures law enforcement and community organizations have the support and resources they need to continue this critical work.” – The Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction
Quick Facts
- In March 2018, the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness convened a Summit on Gun and Gang Violence to engage stakeholders and address the challenges, opportunities and best practices for reducing gun crime and gang violence in Canada. Representatives of community, youth and Indigenous organizations, law enforcement, criminal justice, all levels of government, former gang members, academics, gun-owner groups and victims of violence provided their input.
- The Government of Canada invested $327.6 million over five years to help support a variety of initiatives to reduce gun crime and criminal gang activities under the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence.
- From the $327.6 million, $214 million will be made available to the provinces and territories through the Gun and Gang Violence Action Fund over a period of five years. $86M is provided to the CBSA and RCMP to help prevent illegal firearms and concealed goods from coming into the country illegally, while providing necessary resources for firearms investigations.
- As part of its commitment to community funding under the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence, the Government of Canada also invested an additional $8 million over the next four years in the Youth Gang Prevention Fund beginning in 2019 under the National Crime Prevention Strategy.
- The Government of Canada also announced $1.5 million to the City of Toronto to support policing efforts to help keep communities safe following a spike in gun violence in the city. This will be part of the overall $4.5 million payment announced August 13, 2019 with equal contributions made by all of the Government of Canada, the Government of Ontario and the City of Toronto.
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For media inquiries, please contact: Karen Gill Tel: 613-995-4843
Email: Ruby.Sahota@parl.gc.ca