Quebec Prime Minister François Legault said it is time for the province to crack down on street gang violence and said Quebecers can expect his government to dedicate part of its next budget to the issue.
Speaking to the media on Thursday, the prime minister said it is time for the provincial government to launch a campaign to dismantle criminal gangs, as did Serge Ménard, who was Minister of Justice and Public Security in several Parti Québécois governments. , 20 years ago.
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“We are at the point where this has to end,” Legault said. “It is terrible to see a 16-year-old being shot. It’s one thing to fight in the schoolyard, but getting shot in Montreal? That cannot be accepted. “
Legault was referring to Thomas Trudel, who was shot and killed Sunday night in a residential neighborhood located in Montreal’s Villeray-Saint-Michel-Parc-Extension district after a suspect approached him.
Legault’s comments came after he visited a memorial site for the teenager on Thursday, which Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante also visited to pay her respects earlier this week.
Montreal police have yet to make an arrest in the case, which is the third murder of a teenager by firearm this year. Authorities say police patrols in the area have increased.
Both the mayor and the prime minister say the responsibility to act on the issue is shared with the federal government.
“Banning firearms is federal jurisdiction,” Legault said. “But we still have work to do. The police have to deal with street gangs and the federal government should make sure fewer firearms are allowed. “
A local community organization, Forum jeunesse de Saint-Michel, said they saw signs of easier access to guns and a growing culture of glorifying guns among teens since before the pandemic and its shutdowns.
Legault said his administration will make an announcement on how it will address the issue of street gangs and gun violence next week, when it publishes its mini-budget on November 25.
“It will be a priority,” the prime minister said.
– with Canadian Press files
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