September 2024 Statement: Auto Theft and Crime
As your neighbour and your MP, I care deeply about the safety and well-being of our community. No one should have to worry about their safety. Yet, auto thefts have made our community less safe and have left many people in Oakville feeling vulnerable.
I have met with many of you, and you called for more federal action. I took those concerns to Ottawa and as a result, here are the actions our federal government has implemented so far through our National Action Plan on Combatting Auto Theft in 2024:
(1) directed $121 million to Ontario to assist in preventing gun and gang violence, including organized crime and auto theft;
(2) directed $28 million to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) to fund equipment necessary to detect and search shipping containers for stolen vehicles, including a new mobile X-ray scanner located in the GTA;
(3) transferred $9.1 million to provincial, territorial and municipal police services to increase their capacity to take custody of stolen vehicles recovered by CBSA;
(4) enhanced information sharing processes and investigative tactics to identify, locate and retrieve stolen vehicles and parts all around the world with a $3.5 million contribution to support INTERPOL’s joint transnational vehicle crime project;
(5) invested $2.4 million to ensure a coordinated response on auto theft with domestic and international partners, including provinces, territories, municipalities, industry and close allied nations;
(6) enacted key additions to the Criminal Code of Canada (CCC) to deter auto theft under Bill C-69. These include: (a) implementing tougher penalties, with maximum sentences of up to 14 years for theft involving violence or organized crime; (b) targeting the possession or distribution of car theft devices, with penalties now up to 10 years; (c) imposing harsher sentences for involving minors in auto thefts; (d) adding a new offence of laundering the proceeds of crime for the benefit of a criminal organization, punishable by up to 14 years in prison;
(7) enacted changes to the CCC (under Bill C-48) which, among other things, make bail guidelines more stringent. Among the changes, the Bill (a) amends bail provisions for repeat violent offenders involving weapons and expands the list of weapons (b) requires the courts to consider an offender’s criminal history before making a bail decision and (c) requires the courts to disclose bail decisions where the safety of the community has been considered by the court.
Our National Action Plan is having an impact on auto theft. Nationally the level of auto theft dropped 17 percent in the first six months of 2024 versus 2023, and in Ontario, it dropped 14 percent during the same period. (Toronto Star, July 16, 2024). At the same time, we must look for and leverage the most effective methods for cracking down further on auto theft and the organized crime networks behind it.
While the federal government has amended the CCC, it must also be recognized that the province and the municipality, as well as local police forces, also have specific roles to play in ensuring the safety of our communities. For example, the location of streetlights falls within the purview of the Town of Oakville. Patrolling the streets and enforcing the criminal law against theft is the responsibility of the Halton Police, which falls within provincial jurisdiction.
The operation of the courts and the administration of justice fall within provincial jurisdiction also. In Ontario, only 3 percent of criminal charges make it to trial. Provincial crowns and courts are overwhelmed. Case dismissals or plea deals are often the result. The administration of justice and the role of the province are central to this conversation.
I will continue to advocate that each of us, as elected officials, steps up and does our respective part in preventing auto theft in our community. I will continue to work hard for Oakville families so that we can always feel safe living in this wonderful community.