By Canadian Press

Ottawa expected to announce renewal of federal gun and gang violence program

May 8, 2023 | 2:02 AM

OTTAWA — The Liberal government is expected to announce the renewal of its multimillion-dollar federal gun and gang violence program today.

Ottawa says Marco Mendicino, federal Minister of Public Safety, will make an announcement at 9:30 a.m. about the government’s work to prevent gun and gang violence.

In November 2017, the federal government announced approximately $327.6 million in new federal funding over five years to tackle an increase in gun violence and gang activity in Canada, with funds set to begin flowing in 2018-19.

The government says the initiative involved federal, provincial and territorial efforts to support “community-level prevention and enforcement efforts.”

It says this also included efforts to “build and leverage unique federal expertise and resources to advance intelligence related to the illegal trafficking of firearms, and invest in border security to interdict illicit goods including guns and drugs.”

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The government says firearm-related homicides in Canada have been steadily increasing, reaching a total of 277 in 2020 — 16 more than the previous year — while gang-related homicides have also been on the rise.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 8, 2023.

The Canadian Press