Canada announces $390M to help stop crime and gun violence

By Firdevs Bulut Kartal

TORONTO (AA) - Canada has allocated $390 million over five years to help the provinces fight gang violence and reduce the number of crimes committed with firearms, the government announced Monday.

"The Minister of Public Safety, the Honorable Marco Mendicino, today announced that the Government of Canada will be investing $390 million in programs to help stop gun crime and gang violence before it starts," the government said in a statement.

"The Government will provide this funding over the next five years to provinces and territories to support a variety of initiatives, including support for law enforcement and prevention programs," the statement added.

The government has a detailed plan that gets guns off the streets and resources into Canadian neighborhoods. A central part of this initiative involves creating resources to fight crime and prevent violence from happening in the first place, said the statement.

This funding builds on the success of the initial Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence (ITAAGGV), which the government announced in 2017.

ITAAGGV funding has been used by provinces for an array of important efforts to combat gun and gang violence in various provinces.

"ITAAGGV is one of many elements in the government’s plan to keep Canadians safe. This begins with strong borders, where the government has invested nearly half a billion dollars in border security and deepened cooperation with the United States to fight gun smuggling," the statement noted.

According to data from Public Safety Canada, the number of gun-related homicides in Canada has been increasing in recent years, with 2020 witnessing 277 gun-related murders, 16 more than the previous year.