PM hints at tougher penalties for car thieves as feds seek ideas at national summit
CTV
The Liberal government will consider tougher criminal penalties for people who steal vehicles, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday as he kicked off a daylong summit aimed at confronting the scourge of auto theft.
The Liberal government will consider tougher criminal penalties for people who steal vehicles, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday as he kicked off a daylong summit aimed at confronting the scourge of auto theft.
"The rise over the last years has been alarming," Trudeau told the gathering of cabinet ministers, law enforcement officials, border authorities and insurance and automaker emissaries.
He described how Canadian vehicles are turning up in places like Ghana and Nigeria, with one particular family having their SUV stolen on three separate occasions.
"Organized crime is becoming more brazen, and the overseas market for the stolen cars is expanding."
The political sheen on the event was also unmistakable. Trudeau blamed the previous Conservative government for slashing spending on border security, making it harder to prevent stolen vehicles from leaving the country.
And he took a pointed jab at Conservative rival Pierre Poilievre, who has been flooding the airwaves and social media with aggressive counter-programming aimed at neutralizing the effect of the gathering Thursday.
"A catchy slogan won't stop auto theft; a two-minute YouTube video won't stop organized crime," Trudeau said.
