Thank you, Chair. It's okay.
Minister Blair, welcome to the committee. Thank you for being here and for all that you do in keeping our communities safe.
Minister, I know that as a GTA member of Parliament and a former Toronto police police chief, you are very familiar with the region of Peel. In their 2018 annual report, Peel police stated that gun violence has been a major problem for the region. In 2018, the police seized 459 firearms and investigated 504 potential shootings, an increase of 18% over 2017.
Minister, as the member of Parliament for Brampton West, I've personally met families and have read stories of the tragic end path of gun and gang violence in our communities. I know there's no one simple solution. We need a comprehensive and holistic approach, and I know our government has made significant investments to combat gun and gang violence specifically in the GTA.
Can you elaborate on those investments and the impact in our communities? This is for the sake of my constituents who constantly ask me how the federal investments that we make flow into our municipalities, into our regions and into our communities like Brampton.