The federal government handed New Brunswick $2.7 million Thursday to tackle a crime problem that may or may not be getting worse.

Bill Blair, the federal minister for border security and organized crime, was in Fredericton to announce the funding. It's the latest in a series of high-profile announcements and visits in the province by Trudeau cabinet ministers in the months before the federal election.

The announcement was billed as an initiative for "reducing gun and gang violence," but neither Blair nor his provincial counterpart Carl Urquhart were able to say for sure that it's a growing problem in New Brunswick.

"I can't say whether it's increasing," Urquhart said. "I feel it's increasing. I just know from talking to the police departments they feel it's increasing.

"But now I need the funding and the ability to find out one way or another."

Blair, a former Toronto police chief, seemed to acknowledge that New Brunswick is not facing the same levels of gun and gang violence as larger urban centres.

"I think it's very important for parts of the country that have not yet been significantly impacted by this growing organized crime threat to take proactive measures."

Fredericton Liberal MP Matt DeCourcey, right, poses with Urquhart, far left, and Blair, after Thursday's announcement. (Jon Collicott/CBC)

Blair was flanked at the news conference by Fredericton Liberal MP Matt DeCourcey, one of several federal Liberals facing tough re-election bids ahead of the national vote on Oct. 21.

Plenty of pre-election visits

DeCourcey and other Liberal MPs have had a busy summer with a steady stream of cabinet ministers dropping in to visit their ridings and, in some cases, dispense federal tax dollars.

In recent weeks, DeCourcey has been in the frame alongside Veterans Affairs Minister Lawrence MacAulay, Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen and Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett.

He's expected to welcome yet another cabinet-level guest, Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan, on Friday.

DeCourcey rejected the idea that all the traffic is election-related.

Federal Tourism Minister Melanie Joly shakes hands with Fundy Royal MP Alaina Lockhart during a visit to New Brunswick this summer. (Melanie Joly/Twitter)

He said with the provincial government, a major university, a start-up sector, Base Gagetown and a growing immigrant community in his riding, it's natural that ministers are coming. He also said they've been coming since he was elected in 2015, not just this summer.

Fundy-Royal Liberal MP Alaina Lockhart has been equally busy this summer, doing events with MacAulay, Hussen, Rural Development Minister Bernadette Jordan and Tourism Minister Melanie Joly.

In some cases, the ministerial trips have not come with a cheque. Fisheries Minister Jonathan Wilkinson was in Moncton in July to recognize the work of his departmental staff on right-whale protection measures.

Other ministers have arrived with big bucks to deliver. Jordan was in St. Martins, in Lockhart's riding, to announce of $40 million to improve high-speed internet access in rural areas.

'50-cent dollars'

Progressive Conservative Premier Blaine Higgs has repeatedly denounced what Liberals call "50-cent dollars" — federal funding that is contingent on the province matching the amount.

Higgs said the provincial half of many proposed projects is still more than what his government can afford to spend.

The recent federal spending announcements on crime and on rural internet access included no provincial contribution.

Two other recent announcements, a $4 million upgrade to Route 114 leading to Fundy National Park and $1.7 million for tourism projects, did involve provincial money.

Bill Blair, the federal minister for border security and organized crime, furthered the string of recent visits by federal cabinet ministers to New Brunswick. On Thursday, he announced funding to fight gun and gang violence. (Jon Collicott/CBC)

Thursday's announcement by Blair of $2.7 million comes from Ottawa's Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence.

Blair and Urquhart said some of the funding will go toward generating data on gun violence or gang activity, numbers they both acknowledged they don't have at the moment.

"New Brunswick doesn't have the same amount and the same type of gang violence as a lot of provinces do, but initiatives like this are going to help us get a handle on it and control it because they are here. I think everybody understands that," Urquhart said.

The province is "starting to see crime patterns" with motorcycle gangs in Fredericton and other cities "that are connected," he said. "We don't have a good handle on how they are connected, and this will give us the funding and facilities to go after them."