Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I'm one of the founding members of the CCACV, the Communauté de citoyens et de citoyennes en action contre les criminels violents. You've already heard from two of our other members, Mr. André Gélinas and Ms. Anie Samson.
On January 26, 2022, the CCACV proposed 16 measures to the various levels of government to fight gun violence. Letters appeared in two media outlets. We invite you to read those letters, particularly the measures that we are recommending to the federal government.
On February 21, 2022, Montreal city council adopted a first measure proposed by CCACV. The opposition and the elected officials agreed to implement a helpline for parents who see their children falling into violence.
Victims of violent crimes and their loved ones are our inspiration. Most of us are responsible parents who feel that a child needs as much love as discipline to develop. Discipline should take the form of punishments that gradually increase in severity, based on what was done. The vast majority of parents are like this in Canada, including racialized, Black, indigenous and underprivileged communities.
Responsible lawmakers should also adopt laws and sentences that gradually increase in severity and that are appropriate to what was done, particularly with respect to serious crimes, such as the possession of illegal firearms, a scourge that is decimating Canadian cities.
Unfortunately, there are also entitled, lax and indulgent parents, who overprotect their spoiled children. Those children grow up with no respect for others and live with a feeling of impunity and a sense that they are all-powerful.
Lawmakers who are indulgent when it comes to serious crimes committed by people in possession of illegal weapons can rest assured that there will be a sharp increase in victims from the same communities as the suspects. Those communities already have a disproportionately high number of victims.
There is absolutely a dichotomy between Bill C‑5 and the social context of gun violence.
A first fact: All major Canadian cities are dealing with shootings, attributed primarily to members of street gangs. The number of shootings doubles each year almost everywhere. Several reports in the media have highlighted the extent to which these criminals have a feeling of absolute impunity, which Bill C‑5 would exacerbate. On social media, they laugh at the justice system and the often lenient prison sentences given to them by an indulgent justice system. They show off their illegal weapons with defiance and pride.
A second fact: On March 7, 2018, the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness organized the Summit on Gun and Gang Violence, held in Ottawa. Four years later, there are three main questions. First, what arose from the findings and the solutions proposed at the summit? Then, has the situation related to violence improved or significantly deteriorated in four years in Canada? Finally, are there fewer illegal firearms in circulation than in 2018?
A third fact: Community members don't all think alike. Many members of diverse communities think like Murielle Chatelier, who was born in Haiti and is a member of the CCACV. I invite you to read her letter, co‑signed by other members from diverse populations, which speaks about being accountable rather than wallowing in victimization.
A fourth fact: In Toronto, ideologists have been in control of public safety for the past 10 years. The result is revealing. Indeed, there are over 450 shootings and hundreds of victims each year. Faced with amalgamations, police are disengaged. They do less and less prevention and stops. They put tape around the victims' bodies. Street gang members are so not afraid of being arrested that they now keep their firearms on them, ready for the next shooting. Street gang members also have the criminal speciality of procuring and have no respect for the bodies of girls and women, who they see as merchandise.
In Montreal, the ideologists are doing the same thing as in Toronto. The number of shootings is on the rise, as is the number of victims, and the police are increasingly disengaged.
Residents concerned about the violence are demanding a change in paradigm.
According to them, Canadian lawmakers should place the victims of violent crime and their loved ones at the centre of any legislative considerations; focus more on victims of violent crime in racialized communities, whether Black or indigenous, and in underprivileged communities, by ensuring that the people committing these crimes are arrested, detained and rightfully convicted by the justice system; value and trust the people who wear a police uniform; place less importance on lobby groups, which are divisive and include those opposed to the police, the so‑called woke and racists, who in no way represent the pragmatic and moderate opinion of Canadians; listen more to members of diverse communities, who, like Murielle Chatelier, disagree with the attitude of victimization but instead promote accountability; hold criminals responsible for their actions and their decisions, regardless of the community, the way responsible parents do with their children, instead of overprotecting criminals as though they were spoiled children; and refocus the principles of justice by implementing a new charter of duties and responsibilities.
