Stéphane Dion.   Asleep at the Wheel on Crime.

April 15, 2008

Too many Canadians in too many communities have been victimized by auto theft.

Having your car stolen is a frustrating and frightening experience. The victims of car theft go far beyond the car owners in question, though, as every car owner ends up paying higher insurance premiums as a result.

Yesterday the Conservative Government introduced a new law that would provide more protection for law-abiding families by cracking down on car thieves.

The Conservative Government’s new legislation makes the very act of tampering with a vehicle ID number illegal and imposes tough new penalties for those involved in the transport or delivery of stolen cars. In addition, the Conservative Government plans to make auto theft a separate criminal offence in Canada's Criminal Code.

This new, hard-hitting legislation will strike back at the gangs and mobsters, drug criminals and thuggish joy-riders who have fuelled a growing number of car thefts in too many cities and towns.

By introducing these important new laws, Prime Minister Stephen Harper is leaving no uncertainty where he stands. The Conservative Government will always show real leadership when it comes to acting on the issues of real people.

The only question that remains is where does Stéphane Dion stand? To date Mr. Dion has tried every trick in the book to obstruct badly needed new crime legislation. The Liberal caucus have obstructed new crime bills. They have staged walk-outs in the House of Commons to protest new crime laws. Mr. Dion and his lieutenants have also hinted that they will weaken crime laws should they get back into power.

Yet when the time comes to stand and be accountable for their rhetoric the Dion Liberals always back down, knowing full well that Canadians will not tolerate the Liberal “see no evil” approach to crime any more.

Riddled with division and frustration, the Liberals under Stéphane Dion have become the party of no policy, no leadership and no credible plan for Canada. Canadians looking for real results will only find it in the strong leadership and real action of Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Conservative Government.