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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 316

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 23, 2024 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 316 - May/23/24
Hon. Arif Virani
  • May/23/24 7:11:22 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the number I am being provided with from officials is 105,673.
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Ms. Melissa Lantsman
  • May/23/24 7:11:32 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, he does have answers to these questions. Can the minister tell us what percentage increase in car theft has taken place between 2015 and 2022?
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Hon. Arif Virani
  • May/23/24 7:11:43 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am sure the member for Thornhill has a calculator and can do that calculation.
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Ms. Melissa Lantsman
  • May/23/24 7:11:50 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I will ask the minister again for a non-condescending answer.
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Hon. Arif Virani
  • May/23/24 7:11:55 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am aware that car thefts have gone up, and the number of car thefts in Canada in 2022 is 105,673 vehicles. If the member is committed to combatting auto theft, what I would put to her is that she should get behind the fall economic statement and budget 2024, which deal with auto theft initiatives.
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Ms. Melissa Lantsman
  • May/23/24 7:12:15 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the answer is 34.1%, and I am sure the Minister of Justice also can find a calculator. Can he tell us the percentage increase in car thefts from 2015 to 2022 in the province of Ontario, his province and mine?
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Hon. Arif Virani
  • May/23/24 7:12:34 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate that the number of car thefts is up in various provinces around the country. I do not have the statistics for Ontario.
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Ms. Melissa Lantsman
  • May/23/24 7:12:56 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is 122.5% in Ontario. How about just in Toronto?
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Hon. Arif Virani
  • May/23/24 7:13:04 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am in contact with law enforcement in Toronto, including the TPS, and they have advised me that car thefts are up. I do not have the specific quantum. What I can reflect to the member opposite is that we are taking aggressive steps to deal with car theft in Toronto and throughout the country.
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Ms. Melissa Lantsman
  • May/23/24 7:13:20 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, if he was in contact with law enforcement or if he read the newspaper, then he would know that it is 300%. How many cars have been stolen from the Minister of Justice?
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Hon. Arif Virani
  • May/23/24 7:13:32 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I have never had my personal car stolen.
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Ms. Melissa Lantsman
  • May/23/24 7:13:38 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, that is very clever. How many cars were stolen from the former minister of justice before the current minister?
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Hon. Arif Virani
  • May/23/24 7:13:48 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am aware that the previous minister's car, which was provided to him in his capacity as minister, was taken from him twice.
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Ms. Melissa Lantsman
  • May/23/24 7:13:57 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it has been three times since 2019. Does the minister not agree that car theft is a problem?
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Hon. Arif Virani
  • May/23/24 7:14:05 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, if the member for Thornhill was listening, I had indicated that car theft is on the rise. Car theft is a serious problem. I have said that at the microphone many times, and we have taken significant steps to address it.
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Ms. Melissa Lantsman
  • May/23/24 7:14:24 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, will the minister answer a question about why he would not support mandatory minimum sentences for those who repeat stealing cars in Ontario, all over Canada and in Toronto?
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Hon. Arif Virani
  • May/23/24 7:14:40 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I have indicated in this chamber, there is already a mandatory minimum sentence in place for people who are repeat offenders for auto theft.
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Ms. Melissa Lantsman
  • May/23/24 7:14:49 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is well known that the cars that are stolen end up in the port of Montreal, or at least many of them do. There are 1.7 million containers at the port of Montreal. How many of them are scanned?
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Hon. Arif Virani
  • May/23/24 7:15:02 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I can indicate to the member opposite that we put $28 million toward scanning more of those containers, and that has resulted in the interception of over 1,000 cars by CBSA in 2024, including at the port of Montreal.
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Mr. Frank Caputo
  • May/23/24 7:15:37 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I would invite you to speak with the table officers, but my understanding is that when we are in committee of the whole, answers are to be balanced proportionately to the time that is provided in the question. I wrote down the times, and in one case, by my rough calculation, and this is by no means scientific, there was actually a 14-second disparity. I would ask that you please enforce that and enforce it strictly, if I am in fact correct on this.
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