Public security minister meets with Montreal-area police forces amid organized crime concerns
Quebec Public Security Minister François Bonnardel said organized crime is no longer a business reserved for adult criminals and says parents need to step in to protect their children from gangs.
This comes after a meeting with Laval and Montreal police, the Sûreté du Québec and provincial correctional authorities following a wave of arrests.
A 14-year-old was killed last month after attempting to shoot at an alleged Hells Angels clubhouse in the Beauce region. At least 10 youths have been arrested in recent weeks for allegedly committing crimes on behalf of powerful gangs.
"The model is completely different from what we've seen 30 years ago between the Rock Machine and Hells Angels. We've seen more street gang using young members, young as 14 years old, 15 years old, doing the job," said Bonnardel.
Investigators claim that jailed criminals use cell phones brought behind bars using drones to dictate orders to the young recruits. Bonnardel says he's waiting for federal authorization to use devices that scramble cell signals to disable drones. Those devices are currently illegal in Canada.
The government promised Montreal and Laval additional budgets to hire hundreds of recruits. The Coalition Avenir Quebec is also asking Ottawa to give harsher sentences to criminals of all ages.
These are measures he hopes could curb gang violence.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Bloc won't hold Liberals 'hostage' over seniors' benefits: cabinet minister
Liberal cabinet minister Steven Guilbeault says the Liberals will not be 'held hostage' by the Bloc Quebecois' demand to expand Old Age Security to more seniors.
Police identify Toronto victim of alleged serial killer
Toronto police have identified the woman who was allegedly killed by a suspected serial killer earlier this month.
Missing father, kids spotted in New Zealand wilderness 3 years after disappearance: police
A New Zealand man who disappeared with his three children in 2021 was spotted on a farm along the country's northwest coast, police say.
No jail time for man who fatally stabbed senior in Vancouver
A man who stabbed a senior to death in Vancouver's Biltmore Hotel building in 2020 has been given a conditional sentence for the killing, meaning he will not serve any jail time if he remains on good behaviour in the community.
Boeing to cut 17,000 jobs, or 10% of its global workforce
U.S. planemaker Boeing will cut 17,000 jobs, or 10 per cent of its global workforce, delay first delivery of its 777X jet by a year and announced substantial new losses in its defence business as a month-long strike batters company finances, CEO Kelly Ortberg said on Friday.
Trump says he'll renegotiate North America's trade deals. Trudeau says Canada will put its interests first
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says that if the next U.S. president re-opens trade negotiations for the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), Canada will prioritize its own interests.
B.C. billionaire posts third large sign criticizing NDP ahead of the election
British Columbia billionaire Chip Wilson has put up yet another billboard message to voters, his third post outside his multimillion-dollar mansion in NDP Leader David Eby's own riding.
Deadly Old Montreal fire: police arrest two suspects aged 18 and 20
Montreal police have arrested two young adults in connection with the deadly fire in Old Montreal last week that killed a mother and her young daughter.
Former public safety minister didn't know about delayed spy warrant, he tells inquiry
Former public safety minister Bill Blair told a federal inquiry Friday he had no knowledge about delays in approving a spy service warrant in 2021 that may have included references to people in his own government.