In response to the alarming increase in vehicle thefts, the federal government is taking action with a $15 million investment. Announced today, this initiative aims to strengthen the capabilities of law enforcement agencies in their fight against this phenomenon, which is increasingly affecting Canadian households, particularly in urban centers.
Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions, and Intergovernmental Affairs, along with several dignitaries including Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Transport and Quebec Lieutenant, and Valérie Plante, Mayor of Montreal, outlined the allocation of this investment. A sum of $9.1 million will be allocated to provincial, territorial, and municipal police forces through the Contribution Program to Combat Serious and Organized Crime (CPCSOC). This funding will primarily be used to increase their capacity to take custody of stolen vehicles held by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).
Furthermore, INTERPOL’s transnational vehicle theft project will receive $3.5 million to enhance information sharing and investigative tactics on a global scale. The Government of Canada also commits to investing $2.4 million to ensure a coordinated response to this issue with its national and international partners.
Vehicle theft, increasingly linked to organized crime, has significant societal repercussions. The profits from these thefts fund other illegal activities, thereby worsening the security of the Canadian population. The federal government also intends to take additional measures, such as increasing the CBSA’s capacity to detect stolen vehicles, banning devices that enable vehicle theft, modernizing vehicle safety standards, and reviewing potential amendments to the Criminal Code.
The announced investment is part of a series of actions aimed at curbing the scourge of vehicle theft. Pablo Rodriguez emphasizes the importance of collaboration between the government, the automotive industry, ports, and the police to protect Canadians.
This announcement comes at a time when vehicle theft rates have seen a significant increase, with a 50% rise in Quebec, 48.3% in Ontario, 34.5% in Atlantic Canada, and 18.35% in Alberta in 2022 compared to the previous year. The CBSA’s interception of stolen vehicles has also exponentially increased over the past five years, from 463 interceptions in 2018 to over 1,800 in 2023.
