FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
OTTAWA, ON – Randy Hoback, Conservative Associate Shadow Minister for International Trade, is astonished today that NDP and Liberal MPs chose to ignore the growing threat of auto theft to public safety by voting against his Bill C-379, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (motor vehicle theft). The Liberal and the NDP continue see and promote soft-on-crime solutions through a unified lens.
Auto theft in Canada is up 34 percent after nine years of Justin Trudeau. Even the Justice Minister’s own car has been stolen three times.
Bill C-379 sought to implement tougher penalties for repeat car thieves across Canada. It proposed a mandatory minimum of three years in jail for those who have stolen a motor vehicle three times.
“It’s disappointing to see the NDP consider real action on auto theft as ‘ineffective, expensive and unduly harsh.’ It’s that kind of thinking that causes Canada’s auto theft crisis to continue to grow,” said MP Hoback. “Moving this bill to committee was my goal, to work together collaboratively to find a solution that helps all Canadians. The Liberal’s view that this is simply a provincial problem is also both foolish and naïve.”
In addition to increasing the minimum sentence in the case of a third or subsequent motor vehicle theft, Bill C-379 would have provided primary consideration to the fact that the offence was committed for the benefit of, at the direction of, or in association with a criminal organization.
This explosion of car theft in Canada is making life more unaffordable.! In 2022, for the first time ever, car theft cost the insurance industry more than $1 billion, meaning every Canadian must pay more each month. In Ontario, car theft claims were up 329% in the first half of 2023, adding up to more than $700 million in losses.
The Insurance Bureau of Canada estimates that auto theft costs every driver in Ontario an extra $130 a year. It is a national issue that requires a national plan to address it. If penalizing those who commit crimes is too harsh and blaming the provinces is your only solution, you will never keep Canadians safe.
A Pierre Poilievre government will hit the brakes on car theft, protect your property, and bring home safe streets. It’s just common sense.
-30-
For further information and media request, please contact the office of Randy Hoback, MP – (613) 995-3295.