As Poilievre pitches new measures to prevent car theft, Liberals say solutions are coming
As Pierre Poilievre blames a rise in car thefts on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Liberal ministers spent Tuesday pushing back -- and promised that an upcoming summit will result in solutions.
Federal officials will meet industry executives, police and members of Canada Border Services Agency in Ottawa on Thursday to develop a plan for tackling an alarming spike in auto thefts.
After a bruising year marked by major slumps in public opinion polls, the federal government announced the summit last month, as members of Trudeau's cabinet huddled to discuss strategy in Montreal.
The Port of Montreal is where Poilievre chose to deliver a sales pitch Tuesday for his party's proposed new measures.
It marked the Conservative leader's second straight day announcing his own solutions to car theft in a city where police say it's a worsening problem -- and tying crime directly to cost-of-living concerns.
"After eight years, Justin Trudeau is not worth the cost," Poilievre told reporters. "After eight years, Justin Trudeau is not worth the crime. After eight years Justin Trudeau is not worth the cost of crime."
The stealing and shipping of vehicles overseas by organized crime rings has been an escalating problem across the country's largest cities and suburbs, regions where the Tories have found themselves shut out over the past few elections.
In Quebec, police reported auto thefts rose by 50 per cent in 2022, as did officials in Ontario. That year, 9,600 vehicles were stolen in Toronto, 300 per cent more than in 2015, when Trudeau first came to power.
Pointing the finger at Trudeau, Poilievre promised Tuesday that if Conservatives form the next government, he would spend millions toward new scanners so border agents can better detect stolen cars in shipping containers.
On Monday in Brampton, Ont., a Greater Toronto Area city that is also grappling with soaring theft numbers, he vowed to impose tougher measures against car thieves.
The pre-emptive political strike in the lead-up to the Liberal summit is set to continue with another press conference in Ottawa on Wednesday.
While Poilievre's announcements have first been delivered via slick social-media campaigns, he's putting himself in front of mainstream reporters more often than ever.
It's an apparent change of tactic for a leader whose critics have accused him of offering few policy solutions while circumventing -- and railing against -- traditional media, at a time when the party is thinking of the next election.
Liberals tried to steer the narrative in another direction Tuesday.
Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc took issue with Poilievre blaming the federal government for the rise in auto thefts.
"The idea that the federal government alone can attack something as complex as organized crime auto theft in big and small communities across the country is very disingenuous," he said before the House of Commons question period on Tuesday.
"This is a complex problem."
He said more investments are coming for the RCMP and border services to tackle the problem.
Treasury Board president Anita Anand told the House much of the same Tuesday, telling the Opposition Conservatives that "slogans and videos are not going to fix this very complex problem."
The Liberals frequently attack Poilievre's Conservatives for peddling simplistic solutions to complex problems, such as suggesting that eliminating carbon pricing would address food inflation and housing affordability.
At the same time, however, they have also acknowledged that his relentless focus on the cost of living -- and his attacks on the carbon price in particular -- has been gaining traction with Canadians.
Earlier on Tuesday, Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez said ministers were heading into Thursday's summit armed with ideas, and that Canadians will "absolutely" see measures announced afterward.
Justice Minister Arif Virani said he understands Canadians' anxieties when it comes to crime, and that as a Toronto MP, he shares those concerns.
But he pushed back against proposals Poilievre announced Tuesday to punish car thieves more harshly, saying such tools already exist in the Criminal Code.
Poilievre promised a "new specific aggravating factor when the offence of motor vehicle theft is committed for the benefit of organized crime."
But the Criminal Code already says a judge can reduce or increase a sentence based on a list of factors, including whether "the offence was committed for the benefit of, at the direction of or in association with a criminal organization," Virani said.
"We need to look at many different instruments and tools to address the pressing situation. What is being suggested by Pierre Poilievre already exists in the Criminal Code."
Poilievre's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 6, 2024.
With files from Mia Rabson in Ottawa
IN DEPTH
Jagmeet Singh pulls NDP out of deal with Trudeau Liberals, takes aim at Poilievre Conservatives
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has pulled his party out of the supply-and-confidence agreement that had been helping keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority Liberals in power.
'Not the result we wanted': Trudeau responds after surprise Conservative byelection win in Liberal stronghold
Conservative candidate Don Stewart winning the closely-watched Toronto-St. Paul's federal byelection, and delivering a stunning upset to Justin Trudeau's candidate Leslie Church in the long-time Liberal riding, has sent political shockwaves through both parties.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government鈥檚 three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party鈥檚 popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn鈥檛 be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Nanos survey says most Canadians support expansion of Old Age Security benefits, but economic experts call it 'terrible policy'
Amid new polling indicating most Canadians support boosting Old Age Security benefits by 10 per cent for seniors aged 65 to 74, a former Liberal finance minister and former Bank of Canada governor are warning the government not to pursue the policy change.
A Manitoba man convicted of murder 50 years ago has been acquitted. Clarence Woodhouse was found guilty in 1974 of fatally beating and stabbing a restaurant worker in downtown Winnipeg.
An Ontario child has died after coming in contact with a rabid bat, a health official confirmed on Wednesday.
Los Angeles prosecutors to review new evidence in Menendez brothers' 1996 murder conviction
Prosecutors in Los Angeles are reviewing new evidence in the case of Erik and Lyle Menendez to determine whether they should be serving life sentences for killing their parents in their Beverly Hills mansion more than 35 years ago, the city's district attorney said Thursday.
Garth Brooks accused of rape in lawsuit from hair-and-makeup artist
A woman who says she worked as a hair-and-makeup stylist for Garth Brooks alleged in a lawsuit filed Thursday that he raped her in a Los Angeles hotel in 2019.
Melania Trump says she supports abortion rights, putting her at odds with the GOP
Melania Trump revealed her support for abortion rights Thursday ahead of the release of her upcoming memoir, exposing a stark contrast with her husband, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, on the crucial election issue.
Parliament 'ground to a halt' over Conservative allegations of Liberal corruption
Government business has been put on indefinite pause in the House of Commons and the Conservatives say it will stay that way until the Liberals hand over documents related to misspent government dollars.
Breast cancer patient says she had to lie to get a mammogram in Ontario
When an Ontario doctor refused to sign off on a mammogram for 38-year-old Sidra Lone, the mother of four says she was left with no choice but to lie.
184 passengers and crew evacuated as Ryanair Boeing plane catches fire on runway in Italy
More than 180 people were evacuated Thursday from a Ryanair Boeing passenger jet after it caught fire while taxiing to take off at Brindisi Airport in southern Italy.
Local Spotlight
The grave of a previously unknown Canadian soldier has been identified as a man from Hayfield, Man. who fought in the First World War.
Moving into the second week of October, the eastern half of Canada can expect some brisker fall air to break down from the north
What does New Westminster's t蓹m蓹sew虛tx史 Aquatic and Community Centre have in common with a historic 68,000-seat stadium in Beijing, an NFL stadium and the aquatics venue for the Paris Olympics? They've all been named among the world's most beautiful sports venues for 2024.
The last living member of the legendary Vancouver Asahi baseball team, Kaye Kaminishi, died on Saturday, Sept. 28, surrounded by family. He was 102 years old.
New data from Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley shows a surge in supply and drop in demand in the region's historically hot real estate market.
On Saturday night at her parents鈥 home in Delaware, Ont. the Olympic bronze medallist in pole vault welcomed everyone who played a role in getting her to the podium in Paris.
A tale about a taxicab hauling gold and sinking through the ice on Larder Lake, Ont., in December 1937 has captivated a man from that town for decades.
When a group of B.C. filmmakers set out on a small fishing boat near Powell River last week, they hoped to capture some video for a documentary on humpback whales. What happened next blew their minds.
A pizza chain in Edmonton claims to have the world's largest deliverable pizza.