Government of Canada invests $1.8 million to combat guns and gangs in Newfoundland and Labrador
CONCEPTION BAY SOUTH, NL, Aug. 2, 2019 /CNW/ - Gun and gang violence threatens many communities across Canada, not just in major cities, but in small towns and in rural and remote regions of the country. While the root causes may be influenced by local factors, the outcome is the same ? communities feel less safe and young people can be drawn into a life of crime and violence. That is why the Government of Canada is taking action to combat gun and gang violence in communities across Canada by investing heavily in the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence.
Today, the Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction, the Honourable Bill Blair, announced more than $1.8 million in funding over five years to support the Guns and Gang Violence Action Fund ? Newfoundland and Labrador.
Newfoundland and Labrador will incorporate a collaborative and holistic approach to addressing gun and gang violence by supporting law enforcement and criminal prosecutions; facilitating new partnerships with community agencies; and offering additional professional development and education for personnel. This work will also build capacity within communities and develop informed initiatives in response to gun and gang violence.
Quotes
"The effects of gun and gang violence are felt all across Canada, in communities large and small. Providing this funding to Newfoundland and Labrador gives the province the ability to build strategies to combat gun and gang violence that are based on the needs of local communities, their young people and local law enforcement. We want to give youth across Canada the resiliency to avoid joining gangs, and the opportunity to achieve future success."
- The Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of Border Services and Organized Crime Reduction
"The safety and well-being of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians is extremely important and we continue to work to ensure this province is a safe one in which to live and raise a family. Combatting serious and organized crime are ongoing priorities for our policing agencies and this agreement will allow officers to be better positioned to target offenders. This funding will also allow us to focus our efforts on the prevention of gun and gang violence by concentrating on the root causes."
- The Honourable Andrew Parsons, Minister of Justice and Public Safety
Quick Facts
- The Government of Canada invested $327.6 million over five years to help support a variety of initiatives to reduce gun crime and criminal gang activities under the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence.
- From the $327.6 million, $214 million will be made available to the provinces and territories through the Gun and Gang Violence Action Fund over a period of five years. Through this fund, over the full five years, Newfoundland and Labrador will receive a total of $1,843,987.
- The Government of Canada also invested an additional $8 million over the next four years in the Youth Gang Prevention Fund beginning in 2019, under the National Crime Prevention Strategy, as part of its commitment to community funding under the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence.
Associated Links
- Gun and Gang Violence
- Federal funding to tackle gun violence and gang activity
- National Crime Prevention Strategy
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For more information, please visit the website www.publicsafety.gc.ca.
SOURCE Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada
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