Criminal networks use extortion to fund and exert control over illegal markets such as drug trafficking, auto theft, and firearms smuggling. These groups often use intimidation tactics through social media, and threats can turn violent - fueling gang activity and undermining public safety.
Today in Brampton, Ontario, the Honourable Gary Anandasangaree, Minister of Public Safety and the Honourable Ruby Sahota, Secretary of State for Combatting Crime, joined the Honourable Michael Kerzner, Solicitor General of Ontario, municipal leaders and law enforcement officials for a summit on combatting extortion and other emerging threats in Peel Region. The summit was an important milestone, building on Peel Region's recent efforts to reinforce collaboration, improve coordination between enforcement agencies to protect local businesses and residents, and advance integrated initiatives designed to disrupt the criminal networks behind these crimes that operate across borders and jurisdictions.
The Government of Canada is providing Peel Regional Police with up to $1 million to bolster the Service's work to combat extortion, support and provide services to victims, and build on efforts already underway through its extortion task force. The task force provides rapid, community-level response, and leverages intelligence from federal partners including the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), which acts rapidly to remove foreign nationals involved in criminality, including extortion, demonstrating the effective impact of coordinated enforcement among all partners. The CBSA is committed to supporting the task force to accelerate their important efforts.
The Government of Canada is committed to contributing to the fight against organized crime groups that perpetuate crimes like extortion and drug trafficking, hurting our communities. This is why the Government of Canada will establish a new Regional Integrated Drug Enforcement Team (RIDET) in partnership with the Government of Ontario and local authorities. Backed by a federal investment of $4 million over four years, provided through Canada's Border Plan, the RIDET will bring together law enforcement resources from multiple agencies and jurisdictions in a centralized hub to share information and intelligence and increase law enforcement coordination to disrupt organized crime groups that control the illegal drug market and perpetuate extortion.
Building on these investments, the Government of Canada is taking action to protect communities from organized crime, through funding for gun and gang violence prevention, stronger enforcement, tougher laws, improved intelligence sharing and the creation of a new Canada Financial Crimes Agency to go after the money that fuels organized crime.
Budget 2025 commits $1.8 billion over four years to strengthen federal law enforcement. The RCMP will add 1,000 new personnel to increase federal investigative capacity and tackle financial crimes, addressing the most serious criminal threats including organized crime, cybercrime, and national security.
As well, Budget 2025 provides funding for 1,000 new CBSA officers across multiple frontline and operational functions. These officers will enhance border management and enforcement capacity and strengthen the CBSA's ability to detect, disrupt and deter illegal activity.
New legislation, such as Bill C-14-the Bail and Sentencing Reform Act, would make bail harder to obtain and impose tougher sentences for extortion-related offences.
To prevent gun and gang violence before it starts, the Government of Canada has committed over $390 million through the Gun and Gang Violence Action Fund, including $121 million for Ontario, since 2023. These investments are complemented by the $250 million Building Safer Communities Fund (BSCF), which helps municipalities deliver local initiatives that prevent gun and gang violence. Peel Region alone has received $8.14 million through the BSCF to strengthen community safety and provide young people with positive alternatives.
Ontario has invested $160 million in Peel Region through public safety grant programs that support local policing and community safety initiatives, since 2018. This funding provides flexibility to implement initiatives that address policing needs and priority risks related to community safety and well-being. Part of the funding includes $4.5 million that has been allocated towards Peel Regional Police's Gang Response Strategy, under the Guns and Gangs Violence Reduction Strategy, among other initiatives focused on gang suppression, prevention, and enforcement.
The summit concluded with a unified pledge to continue working together to tackle organized crime, protect the people of Peel Region and the local economy and bring perpetrators to justice. Extortion is a serious crime. The Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario urge anyone affected not to comply with demands and to report incidents to local police, or anonymously through Crime Stoppers
