I've worked on the issue of gangs in Toronto. I will tell you as well that, as I've travelled across the country, I've learned that the nature of gangs and the origin of gangs, the social circumstances and determinants, are different in different places in the country. Lower Mainland B.C. is a little different from Toronto. It varies around Saskatoon in indigenous communities. There are different issues, but what we often see is that there are significant issues of poverty, as you've mentioned, the lack of access to services, a sense of social injustice and disparity that can exist in those communities.
In my experience, for many of the young men who get involved in gang activity and then subsequently in gang violence, they're not really thinking about the consequences of their act. I've been involved in the apprehension and arrest of many of them and in large investigations into the individuals and organizations involved in that criminal activity. Many of them don't see a future for themselves, exactly as you indicated, and so I think it's really important that we do more than simply interdict the supply of guns or incarcerate those who commit crimes.
It is the job of the police to investigate and to bring to justice those who are responsible for that violence, but if all we do is invest in enforcing the law, we tend to stay awfully busy. You actually have to go into communities, and this is something that I will tell you with some experience in Toronto. You have to go into communities and change the circumstances under which that violence takes place.
That is not just a policing activity. It's an investment in housing. It's an investment in communities. It's an investment in kids. It's support for those youth groups and organizations, as represented by Mr. March, that actually can make a real difference in those communities, help those young people make better choices. We recognize there is no one simple solution to the issue of gun violence. I know many people will focus on one solution and say if we only did this, that would solve the problem. In my experience, you have to do a thousand things and you have to do them well. We should not be afraid to do anything that makes our community safer. I think it is a responsibility that we all share, that we do all of the things that will keep our communities and our kids safe.