'There is no double standard': Quebec premier responds to criticism after multiple teens killed

MONTREAL -

Quebec Premier François Legault was quick to issue a correction to a social media post intended to share his thoughts on the shooting deaths of two teenagers in Montreal.

"There is no double standard," he insisted. "We don’t want to see this kind of violence by knife or by guns. And of course for guns, we need the help of the federal government."

His comments were in response to backlash to a social media post he published on Saturday lamented the death of Thomas Trudel, a 16-year-old who died after being shot in Saint-Michel, and Meriem Boundaoui, 15, who was fatally shot in a drive-by attack in Saint-Leonard.

"It is impossible to put oneself in the place of his [Trudel's] parents and the parents of the other young people who were murdered in Montreal in the last few months, but it must be terrible," he wrote. "They must be inconsolable. I can't even imagine losing one of my two boys like that. A parent should never have to bury a child."

Following the message, Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ) member Marwah Rizqy pointed out that Legault had seemingly omitted to mention Jannai Dopwell-Bailey, who died after being stabbed during a fight in his school's parking lot.

"Every child is important, no matter what colour their skin is, what language they speak or what neighbourhood they live in," she tweeted.

After being called out by Rizqy, Legault modified his post to say Dopwell-Bailey's death had also "shaken," but his point had been to speak out about firearms.

"I can't imagine the suffering of his family, to whom I offer my condolences," he stated. "To think that I would value one human life over another is simply wrong. All of our young people deserve to grow up safe and to aspire to achieve their dreams."

There has been mounting criticism about how differently the deaths of the two boys were treated, with Dopwell-Bailey being Black and Trudel being Caucasian.

"Jannai got a lot of support from the community, but not from officials and people in political power, and that’s what we need," said Jannai's brother Tyrese Dopwell-Bailey.

Legault said hearing about how many minors had died recently made him "sad and angry."

"As a Montrealer, I have to admit that I don't recognize Montreal anymore," he said. "There are shootings all over the city on a regular basis and the people pulling the triggers are getting younger and younger."

He declared it was shocking and revolting that children were being caught in the crossfire.

"It's not right that our youth are not safe. It's not normal that our youth are shot on their way home from a game," he said, adding that as premier, he feels responsible for the violence in the city. "It is not normal that this is happening here in Montreal."

The premier notes he plans to not only work with police forces to get guns off the streets, but he wants to work on a prevention strategy with community groups.

"Our goal must be to eradicate street gangs in Montreal," he said. "Yes, we must arrest the criminals and put them in jail, but we must also work on the root of the problem, the conditions that allow street gangs to emerge."

The premier met with Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante Monday, repeating his demand that the federal government intervene to stem the flow of guns at the border to tackle Montreal's gun problem. 

"We also need to banish guns and have better protection on the borders," he said. "For that, we need the help of the federal government and we are ready to work with the federal government to do more."