Federal Government Announces $390 million Funding to Fight Gun Crime, Gang Violence

Today the federal government announced funding of $390 million for crack down on gang violence and firearms-related crimes across Canada. The amount will be given to the provinces over the next five years. Furthermore, Bill C-21 is currently working its way through Parliament and if passed, will ban some types of firearms.

Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino announced today that the federal government will be investing $390 million over the next five years to make Canadian provinces safer. The plan is to crack down on gang violence and reduce the number of crimes related to firearms. Firearm-related homicides in Canada have been increasing in recent years as there were 16 more gun-related murders in 2020 compared to 2019.

On the other hand, since 2013, gang-related homicides in Canada’s largest cities have almost doubled. According to Public Safety Canada, out of the 743 homicides in 2020, 20 percent were linked to organized crime or street gangs.

Mendicino said in a statement, “Today’s announcement will provide additional resources to law enforcement agencies, assist young people to make the right choices and help our communities prosper.”

Furthermore, Bill C-21 introduced by the Liberal government last week is making its way through Parliament. It calls for the ban of certain types of firearms. After backlash from some firearm owners, the bill was revised and some initial changes were dropped. Last week, Mendicino said, “These reforms are about keeping AR-15 assault-style firearms off of our streets while at the same time respecting gun owners.”

Vineet Washington