I’d like to thank my colleague for her question. Our hearts go out to the victims of senseless violence.

Community safety remains a top priority for this government. Since the member was elected in 2018, our government has invested over $57 million in the Ottawa Police Service.

I recently met with Chief Bell in Ottawa, and I know that we both share a strong commit to keeping our communities safe. But we know that illegal guns continue to cross our international borders and into communities like Ottawa. And that’s why, in my conversations with my federal counterpart, Minister Mendicino, I have stressed that the federal government needs to tighten up enforcement at the border. This is something that we will work on.

Notre gouvernement prend la sécurité de notre province très au sérieux et fera toujours de notre sécurité une priorité absolue.

I want to thank the member for her question.

Recently, I was in Lambton county on the St. Clair River with our MPP for Sarnia–Lambton, and I was at the exact location where the drone carrying 11 handguns was found in a tree back in May. I saw for myself how close we are to the US border and how easily guns and contraband can get smuggled in our country. It’s no secret where the guns are coming from.

We’ve made enhancements to the OPP-led Provincial Weapons Enforcement Unit to combat guns entering Canada and in Ontario. And to keep Ontario safe, our government has invested over $200 million to combat gun and gang violence fuelled by smuggled guns.

Mr. Speaker, we will work hand in hand with local law enforcement to tackle gun and gang violence in Ontario. But this is not enough. We cannot do it alone. We need our federal government to step up now and take measures to improve border security and inspections.