Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada is calling for stricter gun control in Canada in light of Monday’s shootings that left three people dead in Côte-des-Neiges.
The mayor made the call during a news conference Tuesday shortly after visiting with residents and merchants in the neighbourhood.
“We can’t live in a country, or a city or community, where you’re at risk of dying from a gun,” the mayor said. “What happened yesterday should not happen anywhere else.”
A civilian, a police officer and a suspect were killed in a shootout Monday that culminated in a massive police operation and hours-long lockdown in the neighbourhood.
Videos show the suspected shooter in military-style gear with a long gun. The police officer killed on Monday has been identified as Const. Mohamed Lamine Benredouane and the civilian victim as 68-year-old Michel Mizrahi.
Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada speaks about Monday’s shootings in Côte-des-Neiges on Tuesday, June 23, 2026. Behind her stands Stéphanie Valenzuela, borough mayor of Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce. Tim Snow / Montreal Gazette
Martinez Ferrada toured the area Tuesday morning with Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough mayor Stéphanie Valenzuela, meeting with anyone affected.
She held back tears as she described police officers still working at the scene after Monday’s events.
“It’s terrible what happened,” Martinez Ferrada said. “Imagine securing a perimeter where you lost a colleague.”
Martinez Ferrada referenced the 1989 École Polytechnique massacre when discussing gun control and said she believes Canada can go further.
“What’s concerning is how — again today in 2026 — someone can manage to get a gun, go into a public street and open fire,” the mayor said, noting she believes the federal government is open to discussing the issue.
“I know it’s difficult because guns sometimes, in many areas, are for hunting or Indigenous communities,” she added. “But in a city like Montreal, we need to have better control of what’s happening on the street in terms of gun control.”
Mayor concerned about social media, ideologies spreading online
The Quebec coroner’s office has identified the accused shooter as Seth Scott Hatfield, a 25-year-old from Lethbridge, Alta.
A manifesto Hatfield is believed to have written is filled with rhetoric associated with the “involuntary celibacy” or “incel” movement.
The 104-page document points to feminism, liberalism and capitalism as causes for what the author says is male suffering, outlining steps to create a “new order” that would curtail the economic and sexual freedoms of women.
Asked about the manifesto’s message, Martinez Ferrada said she could not comment on the document, but spoke out against violence directed toward women and discussed the need to better regulate social media.
“What I’ve seen on social media is unacceptable,” the mayor said, noting how women in politics are frequently targeted by misogynistic comments.
Martinez Ferrada also denounced how quickly graphic videos of Monday’s shootings spread on social media and said she worries about how easily dangerous ideologies take root online.
“Although our city is safe, we need to be aware that there’s something happening on social media and in a world that’s much harder to control,” she said.