(Ottawa) Ottawa will inject $390 million over five years into provincial and territorial gun violence prevention and response programs.
“One victim is one victim too many,” federal Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said Monday, announcing the funding during a press briefing in Mississauga, a suburb of Toronto.
The envelope will notably be disbursed through the Initiative to Combat Gun and Gang Violence (ILCVAFG).
Quebec will receive 84.8 million, a spokesperson for the minister told The Canadian Press. The province that will receive the lion’s share is Ontario, with 121.4 million.
The ILCVAFG was launched in November 2017 by the federal government, with funding of approximately $327.6 million over five years to address the increase in gun violence and criminal gang activity in Canada.
Quebec used its share of funding to deploy its CENTAUR program, that is, its strategy to combat armed violence. “The project […] resulted in the seizure of nearly 400 weapons in the largest cities, nearly 500 more at the border as well as seven 3D printers that were used to manufacture shadow weapons, in the first nine months of the program,” said Minister Mendicino.
Canada’s Department of Public Safety says firearm-related homicides in Canada have risen steadily, reaching a total of 277 in 2020 – 16 more than the previous year – while gang-related homicides have also increased. increase.
Since 2013, the number of gang-related homicides has nearly doubled in major Canadian cities.
