The Canadian government has now held the National Summit on Combatting Auto Theft, the focus of which was on finding solutions.
Following Thursday’s event in Ottawa, Public Safety Canada said in a release: “Discussions held at the Summit focused on finding solutions to the growing challenge of auto theft in Canada…
“Today’s summit advanced work to keep Canadians safe and prevent auto theft from happening, to recover vehicles that have been stolen, and to ensure the perpetrators of these crimes are brought to justice.”
Among the immediate actions being taken is the increase in the Canada Border Services Agency’s capacity. The federal government will also establish a means of better information sharing between local police and railway police to identify and find stolen cars before they get to ports.
Other initiatives include Transport Canada’s plan to modernize Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards to ensure technological advancements are considered in auto theft prevention.
Minister of Public Safety Dominic LeBlanc said: “I want to thank all participants in today’s summit for coming together with one objective in mind – combatting auto theft. Ongoing collaboration will be key to the success of our efforts.”
Aviva Canada chief executive Tracy Garrad, who participated in the event, commented: “This summit has attracted much-needed attention to the issue of auto theft. We applaud the $28 million announced to help Canada Border Services more effectively search shipping containers and a potential ban on consumer hacking devices.
“Moving forward, we now require concrete action and follow through… We must strengthen Canada’s export policies, enhance powers to investigate and prosecute organized crime, and, most of all, get government, vehicle manufacturers, law enforcement, and consumers all working together to make a real difference for Canadians.”
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