PM announces new legislation that targets auto theft and property crime

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Thank you and good afternoon. First of all, Rob, thank you for your kind introduction and also for leading the government's work on today's important announcement. Greeting to Minister Toews, President of the Treasury Board and Minister responsible for Manitoba, who's with us today, as well as to the Chair of our Manitoba caucus, Joy Smith. Greetings also to Premier Doer and to opposition leader McFadyen. Good to have both of you here today. Thank you both for coming. And of course a special thanks as well to Chief Keith McCaskill of the Winnipeg Police, as well as to Manitoba Public Insurance for hosting us here today. We do appreciate it.

It is great to be here today in Winnipeg. As you know, I frequently go off of Parliament Hill to talk about public policy. I do so because I frequently find that that is where I find people who want to talk about public policy. In Ottawa there's too often a disconnect between the fixations of the professional political class and the day-to-day issues that concern working Canadians and their families, such things as property crime and auto theft. While Parliament Hill frets about election predictions, the machinations of the committee system or who's up and down in the polls, people in places like Winnipeg are more concerned about what is actually being done, and keeping our streets and communities safe is one of the issues of utmost importance to Canadians, one of the issues on which Canadians do want action. That's why our government has passed tough anti-street racing legislation to keep dangerous drivers off the street, as Rob mentioned. That's why we support the private member's bill of Conservative MP Andrew Scheer on auto theft to create a separate offence.

Property crime and auto theft in particular are serious problems in Canada. Winnipeg is of course no stranger to these crimes. In fact, despite great work by the Winnipeg Police Service in bringing down the numbers in recent years, this city still has one of the highest auto theft rates in the country. On average, at least one car is stolen every couple of hours in Winnipeg. And contrary to popular opinion, it's not luxury sedans, sports cars and SUVs that make the ten most stolen list. In fact, a minivan is the vehicle most likely to be stolen, the kind of vehicle many Canadian families depend on. When somebody steals your vehicle, it's a huge loss and a big headache. There are police reports to fill out and insurance companies to deal with, plus the cost and hassle of quickly arranging new transportation.

Having a car stolen is almost as bad as a break-in. It's not just a terrible inconvenience, it's an invasion of privacy. And it makes people feel unsafe in their communities. And if you add up all of the costs including treatment for people injured in stolen vehicle accidents, policing and court costs, as well as out-of-pocket expenses for things such as deductibles, it's estimated that Canadians pay more than $1 billion every year for the crime of auto theft. That's not even counting higher insurance premiums. Auto theft costs the insurance industry over $600 million a year, costs that are passed directly on to consumers. So even if you've never had your own car stolen, you are paying for the cars that are stolen. As I said, the Winnipeg Police Service has been working hard to reduce auto theft. The service recently introduced the automatic licence plate recognition system, which will help police identify and recover stolen vehicles. But it won't help with cars that have been re-plated, and that's what we're addressing in today's announcement.

Organized crime treats auto theft as a business and a very lucrative one at that. Roughly one in five cars stolen in Canada is linked to criminal gangs. They typically take the vehicle off the street as quickly as possible, erase the original vehicle identification number and replace it with a fake one. The vehicle can then be resold and re-plated, usually in a different part of the country. Organized crime also operates so-called chops shops, where they dismantle stolen vehicles in order to sell their parts, and where they take high-end vehicles for export to other countries. For too long these gangsters have been getting rich at the expense of people who work hard and play by the rules because police and prosecutors haven't had all the legal tools they need to stop them. That is what we're dealing with today.

Now, ladies and gentlemen, I'm pleased to announce today that our government is introducing new amendments to the criminal code that take dead aim at organized auto theft rings. First, we're making it a crime to alter, destroy or remove a vehicle identification number. Second, we're expanding the criminal definition of trafficking in stolen property, including stolen cars and car parts. The new law will make it a crime to knowingly sell, give, transfer, transport, send or deliver goods that have been acquired criminally, or to possess such property for the purpose of trafficking. Not only will this help police crack down on chop shops, it will also increase protection for homeowners against break-ins, because the law will address trafficking in all types of stolen property, not just vehicles and parts. Finally, we're moving against the import and export of stolen vehicles. Canada Border Service officers will be given the authority to examine and detain suspect goods at our borders, including vehicles, and CBSA will also have the authority to search containers used for shipping stolen vehicles.

Auto theft may be big business for organized crime, but with this legislation, we're aiming to put them out of business. By giving police and prosecutors these new tools, we're closing some legal loopholes that organized crime has been driving its stolen vehicles through for years, and we're going to make life much more difficult for everybody who traffics, in any kind of stolen property. As a result, Canadians will experience fewer car thefts and fewer break-ins, and they'll feel safer in their communities and their homes, just as they should. Peace, order and good government; that is what the founders of Canada promised Canadians, and that's exactly what our government is going to deliver. So thank you very much for having me. And now I will call upon Premier Doer to say a few words.

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