(Ottawa) The Minister of Public Safety, Marco Mendicino, welcomes the idea of the mayoress of Montreal, Valérie Plante, to organize a summit on gun violence in Montreal, scheduled for January. He does not rule out the possibility of participating in it in order to explain the federal government’s intentions with regard to handgun control, among other things.
In an interview with PressOn Wednesday, Minister Mendicino also indicated that he wanted to meet his counterpart from Quebec, Minister Geneviève Guilbault, “as soon as possible”, in order to take stock of the situation of violence caused by weapons. Mr. Mendicino’s office is currently trying to establish a date that works for the two ministers for this meeting, which could take place “in Montreal or in Ottawa, or virtually”.
Faced with the outbreak of shootings that shakes certain neighborhoods in Montreal, Mayor Valérie Plante on Monday launched the idea of organizing a summit on armed violence in the metropolis that would bring together governments, police, community groups and schools. The event would take place on January 26 and 27.
In this regard, Minister Mendicino stressed that all levels of government must work together to counter the scourge of armed violence in Montreal and in other major cities across the country.
“I am ready to participate. I will discuss this with Mayor Plante. Everyone wants the same. Everyone wants us to reduce gun violence, to be able to walk safely in our communities. We have to work together with all levels of government, including the mayoress of Montreal, to achieve all of these goals, ”said Mr. Mendicino in very good French.
Appointed Minister of Public Safety on October 26 after leading the Immigration Department, Mendicino says he is keenly aware of the challenge of gun violence. The former crown attorney recalled that he represents a riding in the Toronto area, a city that has seen its fair share of gun-related tragedies in recent years.
Trudeau government actions
In an interview, Mr. Mendicino made a point of highlighting certain measures adopted by the Trudeau government in terms of gun control, in particular the ban on nearly 1,500 military-type assault weapons last year. He also intends to move forward with the electoral promise of a mandatory buyback of these weapons in the coming weeks.
He pointed out that Ottawa has given Quebec $ 46 million to support it in its efforts to fight organized crime and the trafficking of firearms.
As for the power to ban handguns that the federal government wants to grant to the provinces, Mr. Mendicino said that this subject will be on the agenda of the meeting he will have with Mr.me Guilbault. During the election campaign, Justin Trudeau’s Liberals promised to put $ 1 billion on the table to support provinces that want to ban handguns.
“I intend to go to Montreal to meet with stakeholders and have discussions with the Government of Quebec on this subject. I also want to meet organizations like PolySeSouvient to move the work forward, ”said the minister, repeating in passing that his door“ is always open ”.