Evidence of meeting #5 for Justice and Human Rights in the 39th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was auto.
A recording is available from Parliament.
12:55 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Art Hanger
Thank you, Mr. Moore.
You have time for one more question. Mr. Petit will not have time.
Mr. Moore, go ahead, please, quickly.
12:55 p.m.
Conservative
Rob Moore Conservative Fundy Royal, NB
I guess the adjusters and the agents in your industry would be on the front line of dealing with someone who has been a victim of car theft. You're probably, if not the first, then the second person they contact after the police, or somewhere in that order. I'm wondering if you can comment a bit on the feedback you might get from people who have been victims, when they see the type of sentence or the lack of sentence an individual receives, and whether that gives a sense of revictimizing them at all. Do you get any of that type of feedback?
12:55 p.m.
Vice-President, Investigations, Insurance Bureau of Canada
Yes, we do. Canadians across this country are finding the leniency in the courts and the lack of a strong deterrent to this type of activity very frustrating, very disappointing. Families who have lost individuals--such as the McEvoy family who recently had somebody killed, and the family of a 37-year-old woman in Winnipeg--are devastated by this.
The other thing is that even immobilizers don't totally answer the problem, because people break into homes in order to steal the keys. These individuals feel highly victimized by this type of behaviour and feel very threatened because of it. There is a fair bit of that taking place. There is also the problem of warm-ups--vehicles that are targeted and stolen from driveways.
12:55 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Art Hanger
I would like to thank the witnesses for coming forward today. I think this has been a very intense conversation and discussion. I appreciate it, as do the committee members. Mr. Yakabuski, Mr. Dubin, and Mr. Haywood, thank you so much for being here.
We are now proceeding to an in camera session to deal very quickly with two business items.
[Proceedings continue in camera]