After 8 years of Justin Trudeau, car thefts are up 300% in Toronto. Nationally, car thefts are up by more than a third since his Liberal government took office. Dufferin-Caledon is not immune from this crime, as media reports and crime statistics have shown.

 

Peel Regional Police statistics show a 145% increase in auto thefts in Peel in just three years between 3,376 auto thefts in 2020 to 8,279 in 2023.

​

This explosion of car theft is making life even more unaffordable for Canadians. In Ontario, car theft claims were up 329% in the first half of 2023, adding up to more than $700 million in losses. The Insurance Bureau of Canada estimates this costs every driver in Ontario an extra $130 a year.

 

Justin Trudeau’s dangerous catch-and-release Bill C-75 allows repeat offenders to be released on bail within hours of arrest, who then often go and promptly re-offend. Even after offenders have been convicted, his reckless Bill C-5 allows house arrest for these criminals, making it easy for them to walk out and steal again. Conservatives will change this by:

 

• increasing the mandatory minimum penalty from six months to three years for a third offence of motor vehicle theft.

• removing eligibility for house arrest if convicted of motor vehicle theft by way of indictment.

• creating a new, specific aggravating factor where the offence of motor vehicle theft is committed for the benefit of organized crime.

• repealing catch-and-release rules in Trudeau’s Bill C-75 to ensure that repeat offenders get jail, not bail.