Federal party leaders address gun violence in wake of weekend shooting

OTTAWA — Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau says he’ll be speaking later Sunday with the mayor of the Toronto-area city rocked by a brutal shooting.

A 17-year-old was killed and five other people were injured in what police are calling an “ambush-style” attack in Mississauga, Ont., on Saturday evening.

Trudeau, as well as the leaders of the Conservatives and NDP offered their condolences to the families of the victims, but all three parties stopped short of making any new promises to address gun violence.

Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer and the NDP’s Jagmeet Singh both said the root causes of the situation need to be addressed, taking differing approaches to defining what those are.

Scheer suggested stricter bail and punishments for gang members were needed, while Singh pitched better access to housing, health care and jobs as necessary to keep young people out of gangs in the first place.

Trudeau was expected in Mississauga later Sunday for a rally celebrating tennis champion Bianca Andreescu, and en route, said his party will speak more about community safety and gun control in the coming weeks.

— Stephanie Levitz

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