RE: November 25th Community Meeting
Oakville neighbours, I am writing to confirm that I have not declined this meeting. Rather, the organizers of this Community Meeting set the meeting on a date when I am required to be in Ottawa. In addition to attending the House of Commons daily as the Member of Parliament for Oakville, I have two Ministries that I am running as President of the Treasury Board and the Minister of Transportation. My office advised in advance that I am in Ottawa from Monday to Thursday when the House of Commons is in session, as it is during the week of November 25th. Intentionally choosing a meeting date on which the organizers were aware that I could not attend seems to indicate that they decided that they did not want me to attend. Furthermore, the meeting organizers never reached out to my colleague Oakville North Burlington MP Pam Damoff to advise her and her office of this meeting. She would not be able to attend either as she too is required to be in Ottawa on sitting days. As the Member of Parliament for Oakville, I have been very clear that I take very seriously the issue of safety in our community. I have met with many members of our Oakville community who called for more federal action. I took those concerns to Ottawa and as a result, our federal government has implemented multiple actions this year to deter auto theft and its impact on our communities, some of which are noted below:
We passed tougher bail laws for repeat, violent offenders, domestic abusers, and gun crime offenders in Bill C-48.
81% of people in Ontario’s jails are awaiting trial because they were denied bail or didn’t seek bail.
We added new criminal offences to target: 1) auto theft linked to organized crime, 2) electronic devices criminals use to steal cars, and 3) money laundering proceeds of auto theft.
We invested $605 million into fighting guns and gangs for safer streets.
We created tougher penalties for violent carjackings and auto theft involving organized crime, raising the penalty from 10 to 14 years.
We created an offence to target organized crime gangs that exploit young people to do their dirty work.
We passed gun control laws to take assault style firearms out of our communities.
We invested in scanners at ports and more staff at the border to intercept stolen cars, and auto theft is down 19% in the first half of 2024 compared to the same period last year.
Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has intercepted more than 1,900 stolen vehicles from railyards and ports this year, already exceeding last year’s total. In the Greater Toronto Area alone, 620 stolen vehicles have been intercepted by the CBSA in 2024.
Most recently, as Minister of Transport, I have written to all provincial and territorial Ministers of Transportation asking for their cooperation and concrete action to ensure that we have a shared system of VIN numbers to prevent criminals from “revinning” stolen cars. This issue was also raised by members of our Oakville community. I am also calling on automobile manufacturers who have a role to play in producing vehicles with mechanisms to prevent vehicles from being stolen.
While the federal government has amended the Criminal Code of Canada, it must also be recognized that the province and the municipality, as well as local police services, also have specific roles to play in ensuring the safety of our communities.
Turning to the Province of Ontario, the administration of justice is central to this conversation. The Ontario government is responsible for administering bail and criminal justice locally in our communities. 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 provincial government must ensure the operation of the courts and the administration of bail is working to keep our communities safe. As you likely know, the Halton courthouse is literally falling part - full of mold and asbestos. A new courthouse was cancelled by the Ford government when they took office, and now judges are refusing to even sit there.
Finally, turning to the municipality, lighting on streets is an example of municipal responsibility, and 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. Our provincial government must ensure we have enough police, increase funding, and properly allocate the millions of dollars from the Federal Government.
I will continue to advocate that each of us, as elected officials, steps up and does our respective part in keep our community safe. I will continue to work hard for Oakville families so that we can always feel safe living in our wonderful community.