The Bloc Québécois wants the government to do more against firearms trafficking and, in particular, to establish a list of criminal entities whose members would be judged more severely.
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“Let’s tackle the weapons, but at the same time […], let’s attack the criminal organizations that use these weapons, ”such as the mafia, motorcycle groups and street gangs, said Rhéal Fortin, Bloc justice critic, Monday.
Thus, a person accused of trafficking or illegal possession of a firearm who is part of a recognized criminal group could face a more severe sentence.
The Bloc also suggests “allocating more resources to the Border Services Agency and the RCMP to enhance border surveillance and detect arms trafficking”.
The Bloc’s spokesperson for public security, Kristina Michaud, proposes the creation of a “mixed squad”, which would include the RCMP, the SQ, border services and the police services of aboriginal communities.
For its part, the federal government has indicated that it has already provided the Canada Border Services Agency and the RCMP “with the tools and $ 125 million in resources to fight smuggling and trafficking”.
The Ministère de la Sécurité publique recalled the establishment of the Action Fund against violence linked to firearms and gangs, through which Quebec receives $ 46 million in particular to “support the collection and communication of data, the research, knowledge development and information on gun and gang violence ”.
At the country level, this Fund has made it possible to hire 93 police officers and 19 prosecutors.
The federal firearms bill is expected to be reintroduced in the upcoming parliamentary session. Strongly criticized when it was tabled last spring, the government said it was open to changing it. The bill gave municipalities responsibility for handgun control, but they did not want it, saying it was the federal responsibility.