Mr. Speaker, in June 2007, Canada had over 344 street gangs with about 12,000 members in 166 urban and rural centres and aboriginal reserves. Those numbers are not getting any lower.
In Quebec, there are about 50 major street gangs with over 1,250 members. The vast majority of them are in Montreal. The magnitude of the problem has led to the creation of four joint squads in Quebec City, Gatineau, Laval and Longueuil, as well as the establishment in Montreal of the Eclipse squad, which is made up of 46 police officers. This represents a $92 million budget over five years for Quebec, including about $37 million for Montreal, the epicentre of the street gangs phenomenon.
At a time when Montreal's criminal world is in turmoil with the return of the Hells Angels, the Mafia's internal war and the driving ambition of street gangs, this government found a way to eliminate the Eclipse squad.
Ridicule never killed anyone, but it can hurt a lot.