SECU meeting 4 · 2025-09-25 — Committee Evidence — LegisWatch

Summary

The committee was studying the national action plan to combat auto theft, hearing from Craig Oldham (Director General, Crime Prevention Branch, Public Safety Canada), Aaron McCrorie (Vice-President, Intelligence and Enforcement, Canada Border Services Agency), and Liam Price (Director General, International Special Services, Royal Canadian Mounted Police).

Craig Oldham reported that national auto theft trends decreased by 19.1% in the first half of 2025 compared to 2024, citing collaborative efforts among federal, provincial, municipal, and industry partners. He noted that the CBSA intercepted 2,277 stolen vehicles in 2024 and 1,155 so far in 2025, and that RCMP data sharing with Interpol has generated thousands of international notifications. He recommended continued collaboration with partners and pointed to upcoming meetings with provincial and industry partners in October.

Aaron McCrorie emphasized that the CBSA has responded to 100% of police referrals and deployed scanning technology in the greater Toronto area, conducting 6,500 scans with no stolen vehicles found. He stated that 66 officers have been hired from the fall economic statement, with plans to hire the promised 1,000 additional officers still under development, and that about 30 full-time equivalents have been deployed under the action plan, including 25 operational officers. He disagreed with the suggestion that the number of officers at the Port of Montreal has not increased, stating that roughly six were added.

Liam Price highlighted the RCMP's role in joint task forces like Project Rechercher and Project Vector, which have led to seizures of over 1,300 stolen vehicles and 48 arrests. He noted that integrating Canadian data with Interpol's stolen vehicle database has resulted in over 4,000 notifications and hundreds of collaboration requests, and that Canada's approach is considered a global best practice. He recommended continued international collaboration and sharing of lessons learned across jurisdictions to stay ahead of evolving criminal tactics.

The meeting began with a procedural debate on a motion to invite the minister to appear, which was eventually moved again by Frank Caputo after discussion about scheduling. The committee then proceeded with witness testimony and concluded with a motion to adjourn the meeting.

AI-generated summary — may contain errors; verify against the official evidence.

Witnesses · 3

Craig Oldham

Director General, Program Development and Intergovernmental Affairs, Crime Prevention Branch, Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness

Opening remarks

Thank you very much. I'm Craig Oldham. I'm one of the directors general in the crime prevention branch of Public Safety. I am largely responsible overall for the national action plan to combat auto theft. As highlighted in the RCMP's Criminal Intelligence Service Canada report from December 2023, the issue of vehicle theft in Canada had been steadily increasing in the years prior to 2024. From 2021 to 2023, Ontario and Quebec saw larger than normal surges in auto theft. Ontario witnessed a 78% increase in violent carjacking, while vehicle theft rates in Quebec rose by 50%. The involvement of organized crime groups in the vehicle theft market also augmented significantly during the same time. These circumstances warranted a swift and thorough response, and this is exactly what we have been collectively delivering across impacted jurisdictions since then. With the February 2024 national summit on auto theft and the follow-on launching of the national action plan on combatting auto theft, the federal government has worked steadily with an array of partners to advance a number of initiatives to prevent auto theft, recover stolen vehicles, stop their export and combat the organized…

Full testimony ↗

Aaron McCrorie

Vice-President, Intelligence and Enforcement, Canada Border Services Agency

Opening remarks

Thank you, Mr. Chair, for the opportunity to discuss progress in combatting auto theft. I'm Aaron McCrorie, the vice-president for intelligence enforcement at the Canada Border Services Agency. Auto theft is a complex issue driven by organized crime that fuels broader criminal networks and undermines public confidence. It requires more than a single agency to address; it demands a unified, coordinated response. Auto theft has personal, social and economic impacts and is a priority for the Canada Border Services Agency. Our adversaries are transnational criminals who collaborate across borders. Successfully disrupting and defeating them therefore also depends on collaboration. The Canada Border Services Agency is working with law enforcement partners and stakeholders such as the Équité Association to support the continued work on combatting auto theft. Prior to and after the national summit on combatting auto theft in February 2024, the agency has been focused on auto theft. We have responded to 100% of referrals received from the police of jurisdiction, and over 1,800 interceptions of stolen vehicles were made in 2023. In 2024, the Canada Border Services Agency intercepted…

Public Safety and National Security

Summary

Witnesses · 3

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