Thank you.

Chair, vice-chairs and committee members, on behalf of the Canadian Association of Chief of Police, thank you for the opportunity to discuss the dramatic increase of auto theft in Canada and opportunities to combat this concerning public and officer safety trend.

I very much appreciated participating in the federal government's National Summit on Combatting Auto Theft, which took place a few short weeks ago on February 8. The summit provided police with the opportunity to collaborate with government officials and industry stakeholders to address the complexities of auto theft, including the role of organized crime in this growing criminal market. The national summit was an excellent first step. The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police is looking forward to working with the many partners who have committed themselves to working jointly toward identifying and implementing solutions during the summit.

I'm aware of the alarming statistics and safety concerns presented to you earlier this week by the other police witnesses who appeared before you on February 26. To add current context, since the national summit on February 8, there have been over 3,000 automobiles stolen in Canada.

Passenger vehicle thefts are not new to the Canadian criminal market. There are well-documented cases of organized crime groups smuggling stolen vehicles in shipping containers to overseas locations dating back to the 1990s. Generically, the incidence of auto theft decreased significantly in the period leading up to and certainly after a 2007 Transport Canada regulation that mandated vehicle manufacturers to equip all new vehicles with anti-theft engine immobilizers.

Despite these advancements, the criminal element eventually found technological means to manipulate and defeat these technologies. Organized crime has seized upon being able to defeat the advancements in anti-theft technology, while concurrently exploiting the disruption of the global supply chain caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. That led to a shortage of vehicles and vehicle parts, substantially impacting supply and demand and thereby dramatically increasing the value of used vehicles.

Today organized crime has a strong hold on the illicit transnational auto theft market. It's estimated that 80% of passenger vehicles are exported, and 10% of these vehicles are revinned and sold domestically, with the remaining 10% being chopped down and sold for parts. The lucrative international market of stolen Canadian vehicles has surged, as many of the desirable vehicles are readily available in Canada and are either very costly internationally or simply not available for purchase in those countries they're being exported to. For substantial profits, criminal networks are exploiting and exporting stolen vehicles to foreign buyers, with the majority of these vehicles destined for Africa and the Middle East.

As you've heard from my policing colleagues, police leaders, officers, their families and the public alike are all very concerned about the increased level of violence associated with passenger vehicle theft. Reckless offenders, many of whom have previous convictions for robbery, auto theft and weapons offences, or are out on bail for similar crimes, are committing violent carjackings and home invasions to gain access to certain sought-after vehicles. In doing so, they are endangering the lives of the public and our officers. Unfortunately, there are countless examples of vehicle owners having their vehicles stolen at gunpoint and of officers and/or their vehicles being struck or run off the road by violent offenders attempting to flee in stolen vehicles.

In response to this public and officer safety concern, and to disrupt the illicit transnational market being controlled by organized criminal networks, the profits of which often finance other criminal activities ranging from drug trafficking and arms dealing to human smuggling and even international terrorism, Canadian police leaders are calling for a strengthening of port security and monitoring mechanisms, including inspections and the use of technology, to disrupt the illegal export of stolen vehicles.

We're calling for regulating advancements in anti-theft technology to disable, track and recover stolen vehicles, along with restricting the sale of tools utilized to defeat anti-theft systems. We're calling for verification of third party vehicle registration, the physical inspection of problematic VINs during the registration process, and the creation of a national system for vehicle registrations.

Specific to the theft of motor vehicles, we're calling for stronger minimum sentences for repeat offenders, the creation of new offences related to trafficking and/or the exporting of stolen vehicles, and exercising the full range of Criminal Code penalties currently available.

In closing, by working collaboratively with government and industry stakeholders, collectively, we have an opportunity. In fact, we have a responsibility to better serve Canadians by taking the necessary actions to disrupt and dismantle the organized criminal networks involved in auto theft, thereby improving—