Premier Brian Pallister defended his government against assertions that they haven't done enough to address violent crime Wednesday, saying violent crime isn't just an issue in Manitoba.

Asked to respond to criticism that his government, and himself specifically, were not taking violent crime issues seriously, Pallister was blunt in his response.

"You're wrong," he said.

Pallister is flying to Ottawa Thursday to get ready for his hour-long meeting with Justin Trudeau at the end of the week. The Trans Mountain pipeline, the economy and crime are on the premier's agenda for his meeting.

He says he wants to hear the prime minister's ideas about how to tackle the surge in violence in Winnipeg, but won't say what, if anything, he'll be asking for on the issue of public safety from Ottawa.

"Look, it's shocking, and the recent instant with the young child is felt by all of us," he said.

Pallister was referring to the death of Hunter Straight-Smith, the three-year-old boy who was stabbed last week while he slept.

With his death, and the shooting death of Rig Debak Moulebou in a South Pointe townhouse, Winnipeg is now one homicide short of tying its record of 41 homicides in a year.

That record was set in 2011, when a turf war between rival biker gangs happened, with some businesses firebombed. Five people were killed in a single incident when a woman set fire to a rooming house that year.

'Missing the bigger picture'

Asked on Tuesday if he agreed with Mayor Brian Bowman in calling the violence a crisis, Pallister said he agreed "with getting results for Manitobans and safer streets for Manitobans who abide by the laws of our province deserve to have."

The comment didn't sit well with Mitch Bourbonniere, a community outreach worker and anti-gang activist.

He said it's missing the bigger picture, and creates a divisive mentality.

"There's a bit of a theme of an 'us and them' when I believe we're all in this together. Sure, law-abiding citizens want a safe city, but I think everyone wants a safe city, so I think we need to be able to put in resources to help people that are troubled, that are wounded, that aren't doing well, so that we are all safer," he said.

Mitch Bourbonniere, a community outreach worker and anti-gang activist, said the premier's comments are missing the bigger picture of the root causes of crime. (Gary Solilak/CBC )

On Thursday, Bowman reiterated his call for a meeting between himself, Trudeau and Pallister.

Pallister wouldn't confirm whether he will meet with the mayor to discuss the recent violence.

He says he doesn't set his calendar through the media.

Violence unprecedented: police chief

Winnipeg's police Chief Danny Smyth says the unprecedented level of violence has shaken up the city.

"Virtually every violent crime that we monitor and record has gone up this year with the exception of arson, so I think collectively that's starting to have an impact on the psyche of the community," he said.

Similar to 2011, Smyth says gangs are fighting each other over the distribution of drugs.

But this year, he says violence in the last month has reached a level police aren't used to.