As fatal shootings climb, Legault says 'I don't recognize Montreal'

Montreal -

After another spate of deadly violence in Montreal, including a 16-year-old shot to death outside his school on Sunday, Quebec politicians are asking Ottawa to increase penalties for gun crime.

"The federal government has to take its responsibility," said provincial Public Safety Minister Genevieve Guilbault.

Federal officials have jurisdiction not only over borders, through which illegal arms are smuggled, but over the Criminal Code, which should be tweaked to send a message, she said.

"If we want to have more severe punishments for those very, very grave crimes, the federal government has to change the Criminal Code," she said. "That's one of our requests."

She said Ottawa should impose tougher penalties for gun smuggling violations and tighten borders where illegal weapons are being brought into the country.

Premier Francois Legault echoed her in asking for federal help, adding that Montreal is becoming increasingly violent.

"It's terrible; I don't recognize Montreal," Legault told reporters on his way into a cabinet meeting in Quebec City.

Gun-control advocate Heidi Rathjen said that while the province's record isn't spotless, she also places most of the blame with the federal government and wants it to sit up and notice the changing statistics.

"Not much has changed on the ground," she said. "I think this is a failure of our governments, especially our federal government, to address the issue head-on."

Federal officials have a slew of unsavory and politically sensitive tasks before them -- ones that only they can do -- to really crack down, she said.

For one thing, they need to tackle the so-called "iron pipeline," First Nations that allow gun smuggling on their territories, she said.

There's also the bigger, longstanding request from a majority of Canadians to ban handguns, Rathjen said. People have "demonstrated through polls, over and over," that they want this done, she said.

"Theoretically [they're] for people who want to use them in gun clubs," she said. "Seven out of 10 [Canadians] want to see them banned." 

Even if all legal owners were using the weapons responsibly, 3,600 guns are stolen every year and fall into criminal hands, she said.

IN 16-YEAR-OLD'S DEATH, UNCLEAR WHAT GUN WAS USED

In the shooting in Montreal's St-Michel neighbourhood on Sunday night, which left 16-year-old Thomas Trudel dead, it isn't clear yet if the gun used had been legally bought or not, said Rathjen. 

Police have said the suspect had a brief exchange with the teenager -- who wasn't known to police -- before shooting him outside a school not far from his home. Police have not made any arrests.

Less than two days later, there was more gunfire at a Montreal-area school, when four 17-year-old boys were involved in an alleged kidnapping that led to shooting at a Laval high school.

There are different strategies for tackling different kinds of gun proliferation, whether with legal, stolen or smuggled guns, but most of them lie with Ottawa, Rathjen said.

She's part of a group of Polytechnique students and graduates lobbying on gun control. A lot has changed since the Polytechnique shootings in 1989, for the worse, she said, especially in recent years.

"We have more gun violence than ever. Since 2013, the number of gun-related homicides has doubled," she said.

Aside from the trade in illegal guns, there was also a huge spike in gun sales in the last few years.

"Nothing has been done to curtail the proliferation of handguns," she said, noting that half of the country's current handguns were sold in the last 10 years. 

A PROVINCIAL OR CITY DECISION?

Quebec's provincial government doesn't get top points for its approach on the issue, Rathjen said -- "it has not indicated that it's interested in any way in banning handguns."

However, Minister Guilbault suggested otherwise this week, saying she disagreed with a recent federal government bill that would have delegated the authority to ban handguns to municipalities.

In the last election campaign, the federal Liberals had promised to expand that authority to provinces and territories.

"We are of the opinion that we must go further," Guilbault said about the nation's gun laws. "But to what degree, who will have to proceed in what context, it is up to the federal government to make a proposal and we will comment on it."

In any case, Rathjen said, few gun-control advocates want to see a situation where the fight plays out in 13 different provinces and territories. That's why Ottawa needs to take charge.

She said she also considered Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante's lobbying "very effective," as it's keeping the focus on the federal government.

One bright spot lately is the money invested in police crackdowns on illegal handguns, Rathjen said.

Minister Guilbault said the province's other request, on top of changing the Criminal Code, is to maintain financing of the guns and gangs program that increases policing.

Police are getting results, she said, adding that the province is planning to spend more money to fight gun crime, notably on prevention. That investment will be included in next week's economic update, she said.

"There are no quick fixes," Guilbault said. "We have to work on all fronts and, above all, everyone has to assume their responsibilities, including the federal government."

--With files from The Canadian Press.