Illegal arms trafficking and armed violence | Ottawa can no longer skimp on means, according to the Bloc Québécois

(Ottawa) Five boats are expected to patrol the St. Lawrence River near the Akwesasne reserve, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Joël-Denis Bellavance
Press

A mixed police intervention squad bringing together law enforcement from Quebec, Ontario, First Nations and New York State should be set up.

The federal government should also seriously consider making it illegal to belong to a street gang that engages in criminal activity.

Faced with the recent outbreak of shootings in the Montreal region, the Trudeau government must no longer skimp on the means to be taken to counter this scourge, according to the Bloc Québécois. Everything must be done to secure the population of the metropolis, which is shaken by the series of shootings that have occurred on its territory in recent months, supports MP Rhéal Fortin, spokesperson for the Bloc Québécois in matters of justice. During the short four-week parliamentary session in Ottawa, Yves-François Blanchet’s Bloc troops used every platform to pressure the Trudeau government.

According to Rhéal Fortin, the hour is serious. Quebec and other places in Canada “are becoming the wild west”.

In a speech in the House of Commons during the debate on Bill C-5, which aims to abolish certain minimum sentences, Mr. Fortin said he had identified at least 18 incidents in Quebec involving firearms and having claimed victims.

“Every week, people from my family, friends and constituents from my riding come to tell me that what is happening in Montreal does not make sense. They ask me what we expect to act when people are being killed by being shot. Some parents are no longer even comfortable sending their child to high school because they no longer find it safe, ”he noted in his speech.

Akwesasne

In an interview with PressMr. Fortin underlined that the crux of the problem remains the trafficking of illegal weapons, which transit in particular through the Akwesasne reserve.

Hence the idea of ​​having boats that patrol the shore of the St. Lawrence River and of creating a mixed response squad.

“A significant transit of illegal firearms is done by navigation on the St. Lawrence River through the Akwesasne reserve which touches American territory on the one hand and the river on the other. If we cross the river, we have reached Quebec or Cornwall, Ontario, ”he said.

“So it takes a special mixed squad made up of American agents, members of the Peacekeepers, the Ontario Provincial Police, the Sûreté du Québec and the RCMP to be able to fight these crimes,” he said. he also noted.

Mr. Fortin and his colleague Kristina Michaud, who is the Bloc’s public safety critic, urged Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino to endorse the Bloc’s suggestions. For now, the minister maintains that the Trudeau government prefers to enter into agreements with the provinces and municipalities to ban handguns in the territory. The Liberal government is putting $ 1 billion on the table to help provinces that wish to implement this ban.

The Bloc Québécois also did not welcome Bill C-5, which proposes to eliminate minimum sentences for certain drug-related crimes, as well as certain firearms-related crimes. He called for the bill to be split in two.

“In the Bloc Québécois, we are in favor of eliminating minimum sentences. It’s a bad habit that stems from the era of Stephen Harper. […] But the problem, right now, repealing the minimum sentences on gun control, the use of firearms, we think is bad timing. There are some offenses where minimum sentences should probably remain. But doing this at a time when we are experiencing a crisis in Montreal is the wrong message to send to the people who are very worried, ”said Mr. Fortin.