News Release

For Immediate Release
March 16, 2004

TORONTO — The following is the text of a statement by Attorney General Michael Bryant to the Association of Black Law Enforcers:

"I extend greetings to the Association of Black Law Enforcers, the Canadian Association of Black Lawyers, Tropicana Community Services, the Jamaican Canadian Association, the Black Business and Professional Association, and everyone taking part in today's meeting.

I share your concerns and those of the people of Toronto over the rise in gun violence in this city over the last two years.

Know that the McGuinty government will not tolerate gun violence and we are concerned about, and are tackling, the root causes of crime.

Working with you, other community organizations, and the entire justice system, we are going to make sure our communities are safe and provide a quality of life that is second to none.

Minister Monte Kwinter and I are working with other ministers to develop a comprehensive, multi-faceted plan to combat guns and gangs in conjunction with police and the City of Toronto.

We have established a special anti-guns-and-gangs unit that will involve an expert Crown prosecutor working with police from the start of an investigation. The work of this unit has already begun. They are developing affidavit evidence that can be presented to judges at the time of sentencing of those convicted of gun crimes to support stiffer sentences.

The McGuinty government understands that solving this problem does not rest simply with the police or one group or one level of government. It is only by working together that this problem will be tackled and solved.

The McGuinty government welcomes the plan devised by Toronto Mayor David Miller and, as Premier Dalton McGuinty has said, we will work with the mayor and his advisory committee to do all that we can to make it a success.

I welcome and applaud the involvement of community-based groups in working on a solution to this problem. The McGuinty government understands that the solution to this problem depends on community-based organizations such as yours and the other participants today. We stand ever ready to assist and to work with you at every turn.

People want and need concrete results to solve this pressing problem — working together — that is what we are seeking to deliver.

In closing, thank you for the leadership that you have displayed. You are an inspiration to the city and to the province."

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