Liberal government not immune from auto thefts: 48 vehicles stolen in recent years

The federal Liberals are trying to crack down on a scourge of auto thefts across the country, even as the government is struggling to keep its own vehicles away from thieves, new data show.

The federal Liberals are trying to crack down on a scourge of auto thefts across the country, even as the government is struggling to keep its own vehicles away from thieves, new data show.

Documents tabled in the House of Commons on Monday show 48 government vehicles from 14 departments and agencies were stolen between January 2016 and February of this year.

Ministers are not immune, either. The official vehicle of the minister of justice was stolen three times in as many years between 2021 and 2023.

Ontario is the province where the largest proportion of vehicles were nabbed, including 10 in Ottawa, where most of the federal government is based, and two in the Toronto area.

Vehicles were also reported stolen in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec and Nunavut.

Perhaps unsurprisingly given the number of vehicles in its fleet, the RCMP was hit the hardest. All told, 19 of its vehicles were taken, mostly in the Prairie provinces.

Parks Canada had seven vehicles stolen, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada reported four stolen and the Canada Border Services Agency and Indigenous Services Canada each had three taken.