Brampton (Feb 6) – Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre says that if elected, his party will go after auto theft criminals by “restoring jail, not bail”.
At a press conference in Brampton on Tuesday morning, Poilievre outlined the “common sense Conservative plan” to combat car theft in Canada while adding blaming ” Justin Trudeau’s reckless catch-and-release policies” for the increase in crime.
“Justin Trudeau’s reckless policies have allowed car thefts to explode in our communities, and his only action to fix the mess he created is to hold a summit,” Poilievre said in statement. “Canadians don’t need another summit, they need a common sense plan to stop the theft and end the crime.”
One of the measures Poilievre is proposing is to increase then mandatory prison time from six months to three years for a third offence of motor vehicle theft. Another is to remove eligibility for house arrest if convicted of motor vehicle theft by way of indictment. A third measure would be to repeal catch-and-release rules in Trudeau’s Bill C-75 to ensure that repeat offenders get jail, not bail.
The Conservative auto theft reduction plan also includes creating a new, specific aggravating factor where the offence of motor vehicle theft is committed for the benefit of organized crime.
“Justin Trudeau has allowed career car thieves back onto our streets to continue spreading chaos and disorder,” Poilievre added. “Common sense Conservatives will ensure these criminals stay where they belong: in jail. Let’s put a stop to auto theft, protect our property and bring home safer streets. That’s common sense.”
