As Polievre talks about car theft, the Liberals say solutions are coming

Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez insists the Liberal government will go to a car theft summit later this week armed with ideas on how to tackle the problem.

But Conservative Leader Pierre Polievre is trying to convince Canadians that he has a plan, culminating in a social media campaign that is raising public concern about the growing problem.

For a second day on Tuesday, Polievre made a sales pitch for new measures proposed by his party — this time in Montreal, where police say car thefts have exploded.

If the Conservatives form the next government, Polievre has pledged to invest millions in new scanners so border agents can better detect stolen vehicles in shipping containers.

On Monday, he vowed to crack down on car thieves in the Toronto suburb of Brampton, which is battling a spike in thefts.

It's all part of a pre-emptive political strike against the Liberal government and an anti-theft summit planned for Thursday, a day-long gathering of police officials, cabinet ministers and auto industry emissaries.

“After eight years, Justin Trudeau is not worth the price,” Poulievre said at an open-air news conference at the Port of Montreal on Tuesday.

“After eight years, Justin Trudeau is not worth the crime. Eight years later, Justin Trudeau is not worth the cost of crime.”

Linking crime to the cost of living is part of Poilevre's plan to train the Conservatives on issues that have resonated with Canadians and propelled the party to the top of public opinion polls.

He will speak again Wednesday in Ottawa — another city hit hard by carjackings — in a change of tack for a leader who has long defied the mainstream media.

And the Liberals accuse Poillievre of dealing with simplistic solutions to complex problems, such as the role organized crime plays in Canada's current rash of thefts.

But they also acknowledged that Poillevre's relentless focus on the cost of living is rubbing off on Canadians.

Justice Minister Arif Virani said of his constituents: “I understand their concerns about security in their communities.”

“I share that concern as the MP for Toronto.”

He opposed Poilevre's proposal to impose tougher penalties on car thieves — tools that already exist in the Criminal Code, Virani said.

Polievre promised “a new aggravating factor when the crime of vehicle theft is committed for the benefit of organized crime.”

But the Criminal Code can add to the list of factors a judge can reduce or increase a sentence, including “being committed in the interest of, under the direction of, or in collaboration with a criminal organization,” Virani said.

“We have to consider many different tools and instruments to deal with the current situation. What Pierre Polievre proposed already exists in the Criminal Code.”

Polievre's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.

Transport Minister Rodriguez said the complexity of the issue led the Liberals to invite police, industry leaders and Canada Border Services Agency officials to Thursday's summit.

Canadians will “absolutely” see the measures announced later, he said: “They will be announced there, so we will come to this summit with our own ideas.”