Mr. Speaker, let me start by saying that I will be sharing my speaking time with my distinguished colleague from Bourassa.
I am very pleased to have this opportunity to explain what the government is currently doing to build safe communities and to prevent crime, as well as our plans for the future.
Canadians expect the government to be smart about fighting crime. I want to thank and commend the many mayors, provincial partners, and provincial and municipal police forces for their ongoing collaborative efforts to reduce gun and gang crime.
We are all responsible for making things better, and we all want to make things better. That is why, in recent years, the Canadian government has made significant improvements to Canada's firearms laws. New firearms licensing requirements have come into force, maximum penalties for firearms trafficking and smuggling have been increased, and many new harm reduction tools have been put in place. We will keep working to ensure that Canada's firearms regime is responsible and effective, supports the safe use of firearms by law-abiding owners and protects our Canadian communities from the devastating effects of gun violence.
Effective enforcement and operational co-operation are also essential in the fight against gun violence. Investments have also been made to improve law enforcement and border security services. This includes funding for the RCMP to increase its capacity to trace crime guns and enhance anti-smuggling activities, as well as funding to the CBSA to strengthen border controls in order to prevent the smuggling of firearms into the country. We will also continue to strengthen co-operation with key U.S. partners, including through the cross-border firearms task force.
We know that gun violence is a tragic reality across the country and that it is often linked to street gangs. For too long, the roots of this violence have been neglected. The Canadian government has made considerable efforts to change this situation, because everyone deserves to feel safe in their communities, and that sense of safety is shattered every time a violent crime occurs. Our efforts must start there, in the community. Grassroots efforts, meaning community-led initiatives, can help address the social conditions that lead to criminal behaviour.
Getting tough on crime is not enough; we also have to be smart and strategic about our approach. We need to get to the root cause of the problem. In the community, this is done by addressing the social determinants of crime. These are conditions that may lead individuals to engage in violent and criminal behaviour. Our government firmly believes that any solution to gun and gang violence must combine prevention and intervention efforts.
In 2022, for example, the Department of Public Safety launched the building safer communities fund, which provided $250 million directly to municipalities and indigenous communities to strengthen gang prevention programs and address the social conditions that give rise to crime. This money supports initiatives that tackle the root causes of gun crime by supporting community-led projects that address violence among youth involved in or at risk of joining gangs. The fund uses data, including demographic data and crime statistics, to direct investments where they will have the greatest impact. This targeted approach ensures that the most at-risk communities receive timely support that they can invest in protecting the safety of their residents.
To support communities, $391 million will go directly to the provinces and territories as part of the gun and gang violence action fund, and $10 million will be allocated to the youth gang prevention fund.
That is in addition to more than $40 million per year for the national crime prevention strategy, which supports community efforts to prevent youth involvement in crime and tackle known risk factors.
In June 2022, the Government of Canada also tabled the federal framework to reduce recidivism, which aims to break the cycle of reoffending, support rehabilitation and make our communities safer for everyone.
Over the past few years, the Government of Canada has also introduced reforms to simplify unnecessarily complex or redundant bail rules that caused unfortunate and detrimental delays in the criminal justice system without necessarily improving public safety. Canadian bail laws are very clear. A person must be detained while awaiting trial if their release would pose a public safety risk or undermine confidence in the administration of justice.
That said, we are determined to continue working with the provinces and territories to make responsible and effective changes to the bail system, where warranted. Similarly, our partners know as well as we do that when it comes to preventing and combatting gun and gang violence, there is still much work to be done together. We are hopeful that both sides of the House can work together.