Trudeau hints at tougher penalties for car thieves as RCMP chief warns of ‘unprecedented’ problem

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suggested Thursday his government is considering tougher penalties for auto theft as the head of the RCMP warned that some thefts are being carried out with “extreme violence.”

“It’s unprecedented,” RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme told the daylong national summit on auto theft in Ottawa.

“And the extreme violence that’s associated to that and what we’re seeing, it’s something that was never seen before.”

Trudeau told the gathering of cabinet ministers, law enforcement and border officials and industry players that the rise in thefts of cars and trucks over the past few years “has been alarming.”

“Organized crime is becoming more brazen, and the overseas market for the stolen cars is expanding,” he said.

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Ontario Provincial Police Commissioner Thomas Carrique told summit participants how lucrative the grand theft auto industry can be. Spotters, who identify vehicles to steal, can make between $75 and $100, he said, while exporters can make up to $80,000 by exporting a stolen vehicle overseas, where its resale value can double.

“This is a very complex criminal market facilitated by criminal organizations,” Carrique said.

Ahead of Thursday’s summit in Ottawa, the federal government announced it would spend $28 million to help curb exports of stolen vehicles.

Poilievre says Canadians are ‘living in fear’

The Liberal government said Wednesday the money will give CBSA more capacity to detect and search shipping containers carrying stolen cars.

The summit and the influx of cash come after a week when the Conservatives hammered the Liberals over the surge in auto thefts and floated policy ideas of their own.

Earlier this week, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said Trudeau’s “mismanagement has allowed organized crime to take over the operations and the running of our federal ports and use them to transport cars stolen in places like Brampton to the Middle East, to Africa and to parts of Europe.

“Canadians are living in fear.”

Trudeau took a swipe at Poilievre at the summit, saying “catchy slogans” and two-minute videos won’t solve the problem.

The federal government says an estimated 90,000 cars are stolen annually in Canada, resulting in about $1 billion in costs to Canadian insurance policy-holders and taxpayers.

Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc said the government will have more to announce in the coming weeks