Government of Canada invests $4.9 million for at-risk youth in l’agglomération de Longueuil

May 24, 2023

Longueuil, Quebec

Canadians deserve to be safe in their communities. That’s why the Government of Canada has a comprehensive plan that gets guns off our streets and resources into our neighbourhoods. A central part of this involves adding resources to fight crime and prevent violence from happening in the first place.

Helping young Canadians make positive choices, develop their skills and stay in school means they’ll be much less likely to become involved in crime. That is why the Government of Canada is investing in crime prevention projects that meet the needs of youth through the Crime Prevention Action Fund (CPAF).

To help more young people set themselves up for success in life, the Minister of Public Safety, the Honourable Marco Mendicino, today announced new support for at-risk youth in l’agglomération de Longueuil with $4.9 million over five years in federal funding. Minister Mendicino was joined by the Mayor of Longueuil, Catherine Fournier, at today’s announcement.

Le Service de police de l’agglomération de Longueuil and its partners will put into place the “Groupe CONTACT” initiative. This initiative will include several programs and services to support 300 at-risk youth, aged 12 to 17, and their families, in an effort to avoid or leave criminal lifestyles, prevent gangs from establishing themselves, and reduce the number of youth involved in criminal behaviour and intimidation. Services will include various workshops and activities relevant to the needs of the youth and family, including gang risk awareness, counselling, employment training or support, personal life management, in addition to services related to music, sports and recreation.

No single program or initiative can tackle the challenge of gun crime on its own. That is why the CPAF is one of many elements in the government’s plan to keep Canadians safe. It operates as part of the National Crime Prevention Strategy, which supports the implementation and evaluation of local, targeted crime prevention initiatives with the objective of developing and sharing knowledge of what works to prevent and reduce crime among priority populations.

Our work begins at Canada’s borders, where we’ve added resources to fight smuggling and stop guns from coming into the country. The Government banned assault-style firearms like the AR-15 two years ago and is developing a buyback program to get these guns out of our communities. Last October, a national freeze on handguns was implemented through amendments to regulations under the Firearms Act. Finally, Bill C-21—Canada’s most significant action on gun violence in a generation—has just passed the House of Commons. This landmark legislation proposes significant provisions to combat organized crime and address the alarming role of guns in domestic violence.