The federal government will consider taking further actions to combat “incel” ideology if the investigation into Monday’s deadly shooting in Montreal points to ways that laws can be improved, Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said Thursday.
The manifesto left by the suspected gunman, obtained by Global News, expressed hatred for women and society that he blamed for a lack of sexual and romantic intimacy — an ideology that experts say aligns with fringe “incel” or involuntarily celibate beliefs.
The shooter called for violent revolution against powerful figures and companies he said were responsible, and police agencies in other provinces have received warnings about possible copycat attacks inspired by the manifesto.
“As the investigation unfolds, information will come to light and based on that, of course, we will review and look at specific things that we need to do around ‘incels’ as well as the other aspects of hate that appears to be the motivation,” Anandasangaree told reporters at an unrelated press conference in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont.
The minister added the Liberal government has passed multiple pieces of legislation in recent months focused on tackling crime, including anti-hate measures, stricter bail conditions, stronger victims rights and lawful access provisions for law enforcement.
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Bills that introduced stricter penalties for intimate partner violence and online harassment against women, such as sharing non-consensual sexualized deepfakes, were also passed by the House of Commons in the most recent spring session.
“We’ve done a fair bit of work,” Anandasangaree said. “Of course, there’s more work to do.
“The sense of safety and security needs to be restored, and we will continue to be with Montrealers as well as all Canadians in this very difficult moment.”
The shooting occurred in the wake of growing warnings from police, national security officials and lawmakers about the rise of anti-feminist ideology that is leading to real-world harms for women and shifting views toward gender equality.
It’s also the latest deadly tragedy inspired by “incel” or anti-women ideologies, from the 1989 murder of 14 women at Polytechnique to the 2018 van attack in Toronto that killed 11 people, nine of them women.
A group of women on Thursday were holding a protest against “incel” ideology that began at the Polytechnique memorial in Montreal and travelled to the scene of Monday’s shooting in the Côte-des-Neiges district.
The shooting left three people dead: a Montreal police officer, a Jewish bystander and the shooter.
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