Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke is in Ottawa this week to push for federal action on the national extortion crisis.

Locke will meet with federal ministers, senior officials, and municipal leaders, calling for an immediate response to the situation, which she says is a “national emergency.”

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“The extortion crisis has devastated families, shaken businesses, and put communities across the country on edge,” said Locke.

“While recent steps from the federal government, such as the announcement of up to 20 additional RCMP officers, are encouraging, more needs to be done.”

She plans to repeat her call for the appointment of a Commissioner for Extortion Violence Against Canadians to oversee the deployment of a federal organized crime unit and intelligence resources in Surrey. As well, she is calling for the expedited removal of non-citizens who are charged or convicted of extortion or firearms offences.

Locke is also requesting quarterly public reporting on the severity of extortion-related activity and how it is being addressed.

“Three years in, we’re finally seeing movement from other orders of government, but the crisis is far from over,” she said.

“My message in Ottawa will be simple: we cannot allow organized crime to continue threatening our city’s residents and business owners. We need decisive action now.”

She will also attend the Big City Mayors’ Caucus to meet with leaders from other large cities across the country to discuss national challenges.