Conservative Members of Parliament from across the country gathered Wednesday for their regular weekly caucus meeting.
Portage-Lisgar MP Branden Leslie noted it was nice to get back to the office.
He is supporting a piece of legislation brought forward by a colleague, Bill C-379, aimed at ensuring repeat offenders remain behind bars.
"Those who are repeatedly stealing cars will have mandatory minimum penalties imposed on them, meaning that if you steal three cars in three separate incidents, you actually go to jail for a reasonable and significant period of time. It also eliminates house arrests for those same crimes and removes elements of the catch-and-release bail system, so that if you are caught stealing a car, you aren't just released on bail the same day or the next day. You're actually going to be serving some time for the crime you've committed," Leslie explained.
Leslie noted that car thefts have been a regular occurrence across the nation. It's also a huge problem, he says.
"We've seen a massive rise in the number of car thefts. We've seen it in the national news, in Toronto and Montreal, and it's becoming one of our fastest-growing exports—stolen cars out of Canada. So, it's a real problem, not just in our area. I was very proud to second my colleague Randy Hoback from Saskatchewan's piece of legislation, which I think is just common sense. I really hope the parties vote in favour of it because it should be recognized that these crimes have an impact on insurance companies, and those costs are passed on to all of us through our insurance premiums. There's a real, tangible impact—beyond just the feeling of waking up to find your car's been stolen. We're all paying the price for it."
He outlined a statistic that highlights the impact of the current legal situation.
"The most recent statistic we have, from 2022, shows that car theft cost the insurance industry more than a billion dollars—the highest number ever. Obviously, those companies are in the business of making money, so the costs are passed on to you and me through the insurance premiums we pay. Every time there's a theft, it ultimately costs us more. It’s not a victimless crime. Sure, you might get your car back or receive compensation from insurance, but we're all paying more because of it. And that's why we need to put a stop to it. After all, if you're in jail, you can't steal more cars."
Leslie added that he hopes all parties will put partisanship aside and recognize that the rights of victims should come ahead of the rights of criminals.
"If you commit at least three serious vehicle thefts, which is a pretty reasonable bar, I'd say, you should go to jail for a reasonable amount of time."