While the permissive policies embraced by leftist U.S. officials have long been linked to an uptick in criminal behavior, the issue is not a uniquely American one.
In fact, Canadian Justice Minister Arif Virani recently experienced his nation’s crime problem first-hand, marking just the latest in a series of similar incidents.
Reports indicate the government vehicle Virani had been issued for public use was recently stolen. Worse yet, the justice minister’s vehicle was stolen two previous times over the course of just three years.
Virani’s Toyota Highlander was stolen twice last year and recovered both times. The SUV issued to his predecessor, David Lametti, was stolen in February 2021.
Pierre Poilievre, the leader of Canada’s Conservative Party, addressed the latest report in a news conference on Friday, asserting that it reflects a much broader problem with the nation’s leftist criminal justice policies.
His remarks came in response to a question from reporter Jarryd Jaeger, who asked: “If this isn’t enough to convince the Liberals to take action and crack down on auto theft, what is?”
Poilievre attempted to stifle a chuckle when delivering his response.
Pierre Poilievre bursts out laughing as TPM's @JarrydJaeger asks about thieves stealing Trudeau's justice minister's car for the third time:
"Here the justice minister is letting them out of jail for stealing cars. You'd think that they would show him some courtesy in exchange!" pic.twitter.com/fKCCNBhAG7
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) February 9, 2024
“Sorry, it’s just hard not to laugh at the irony of it,” he began, arguing that those responsible for the crime have “no gratitude” toward leftist Canadian leaders.
“Here the justice minister is letting them out of jail for stealing cars,” Poilievre added. “You would think that they would show him some courtesy in exchange, but instead they keep stealing his car.”
The root of the problem, he concluded, is Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
“Everybody is at risk now,” the conservative leader continued. “We didn’t have these stories before Trudeau. He has caused an explosion in car theft.”
After the prime minister is replaced with a more conservative official, Poilievre predicted, “it won’t be like this.”
He went on to reflect on the achievements of conservative leadership prior to Trudeau’s election.
“Under the previous Common Sense Conservative government, we cut car theft by half,” he said. “Anyone doubting these common-sense policies I’m laying out work, remember, we cut car theft by half, we cut violent crime by 25%. We brought crime down with our common sense policies. They work, they’re proven — let’s bring it home.”
