Three auto theft convictions should mean three years in prison: Poilievre
Auto thieves should not be allowed to serve their sentence "in their living room watching Netflix," Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said Monday.
Ending house arrest as an option for people convicted of auto theft by indictment — meaning those guilty of a more serious offence — is one of several new policies for auto theft Poilievre said he'll enact if he wins the next election.
He also says he would increase the mandatory minimum sentence for a third offence from six months to three years and make the involvement of organized crime a specific aggravating factor in sentencing for auto theft.
"Today I'm announcing that a Pierre Poilievre government will go after the real criminals by restoring jail, not bail, for repeat violent offenders and career car thieves," he said at a news conference in Brampton, Ont.
His plan comes days before the federal Liberals are set to hold a national summit on combating auto theft with police, border agents and industry executives.
The Insurance Bureau of Canada says auto theft has become a national crisis, with more than 200 vehicles stolen on average every day.
In the first half of last year, auto theft jumped 31 per cent in Ontario and 17 per cent in Quebec. That came after a 50-per-cent jump in both provinces in 2022 compared with 2021.
In Toronto alone, 9,600 vehicles were stolen in 2022, 300 per cent more than in 2015.
Poilievre blames Liberal policies under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for the uptick, including amendments made to the Criminal Code in 2022 that allowed more room for conditional sentences — often referred to colloquially as house arrest — for people sentenced to less than two years behind bars and who aren't considered a risk to public safety.
"Police are powerless to stop career car thieves," said Poilievre.
"And even after those thieves are convicted, Trudeau's Bill C-5 allows them to serve their sentence in their living room watching Netflix — until they open their front door and go out and steal yet another car."
Poilievre said he will repeal what he called the "catch-and-release rules" in Bill C-5.
House arrest was not available for auto theft offences convicted on indictment before that legislation passed.
Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc said last month, when announcing plans for the auto theft summit, that the rise in car theft is disconcerting, and particularly the increase in thefts that involve violence.
In a statement Monday, LeBlanc's spokesman, Jean-Sébastien Comeau, said the government is committed to finding solutions to tackle auto theft.
But he said it is a complex problem that requires collaboration by all governments, police forces and industry.
"There is no single solution to this complex problem," Comeau said. "Beyond slogans, it's only through co-operation that we'll find solutions and achieve results."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 5, 2024
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’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s 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’t 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.
Tax rebate: Eligible Canadians to receive GST/HST credit payment on Friday
Canadians who are eligible for a GST/HST tax credit can expect their final payment of the year on Friday.
WestJet failed to convince a B.C. tribunal that a woman whose flight was delayed for three days spent an "excessive" amount on a hotel room, and the airline has been ordered to pay her full bill.
Israeli airstrikes rock southern suburbs of Beirut and cut off a key crossing into Syria
An Israeli airstrike has cut off a main highway linking Lebanon with Syria, leaving two huge craters on either side of the road.
The owners of a North York condominium say they are facing a $70,000 special assessment to fix their building's parking garage. '$70,000 is a lot of money. It makes me very nervous and stressed out of nowhere for this huge debt to come in,' said Ligeng Guo.
Dozens of zoo tigers die after contracting bird flu in southern Vietnam
More than a dozen tigers were incinerated after the animals contracted bird flu at a zoo in southern Vietnam, officials said.
REVIEW 'Joker: Folie a Deux': A study in fantasy, obsession and the ordinariness of evil
CTV's film critic Richard Crouse says 'Joker: Foli a Deux' is a study in fantasy, the ordinariness of evil, and obsession.
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.
W5 Investigates The privilege of the passport: The difference between an expat and a migrant
In this fifth instalment of her series documenting migrants and their arduous journeys, Avery Haines reunites with a family CTV W5 first met while they were making the dangerous crossing through the Darian Gap six months ago.
Local Spotlight
From the beaches of Cannes to the bustling streets of New York City, a new film by a trio of Manitoba directors has toured the international film festival circuit to much pomp and circumstance.
A husband and wife have been on the road trip of a lifetime and have decided to stop in Saskatchewan for the winter.
The grave of a previously unknown Canadian soldier has been identified as a man from Hayfield, Man. who fought in the First World War.
A group of classic car enthusiasts donated hundreds of blankets to nursing homes in Nova Scotia.
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 təməsew̓txʷ 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’ 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.