CADA leaders visit Port of Montreal to tackle auto theft
September 5, 2023
When you want to get to the root of a problem, sometimes you need to go right to the source.
That’s what leaders from CADA did recently as part of a broader delegation that visited the Port of Montreal to try to gain a better understanding of why the facility can’t seem to curb the growing epidemic of stolen vehicles being shipped overseas, seemingly right under their noses.
“Our delegation went right to the source to get a better understanding of this growing problem,” said Huw Williams, CADA’s Director of Public Affairs. “What we learned, as we have stated repeatedly, is that the issue circles back to a lack of proper enforcement by the Canadian Border Services Agency. They need to devote proper resources to enforce the laws on the books to fight these organized crime groups.”
Williams and CADA’s Lead Economist, Charles Bernard, were part of a group led by David Adams, President of the Global Automakers of Canada (GAC), that included Michael Rothe, President and CEO of the Canadian Financing and Leasing Association (CFLA), and Ian Jack, VP Public Affairs from the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA).
“The purpose of the meeting was to open practical dialogue about the group’s concerns about growing auto theft, and that the Port of Montreal has been identified as a hub of stolen vehicle export,” said Charles Bernard. “The group gave the Port of Montreal officials a chance to explain their perspective. They explained that they need to ensure a continuous flow of commerce through the port while managing security.”
Bernard said the group were told that the Port ships millions of containers per year in their vast facility, and at any given time there could be 7,000 shipping containers on site.
“The officials came forward with several offers of assistance with the problem to help curb auto theft,” said Huw Williams. “But they made it clear they have limitations in searching containers. The authority to open and search containers falls under the purview of the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA).”
Williams said a recent Cabinet shuffle in the Trudeau government means Dominic LeBlanc is now the new Minister of Public Safety, with oversight over the CBSA. Williams said he’s hopeful this change of leadership can translate into more concrete action from the federal government.
“Several industry partners have reached out in a variety of ways to the CBSA and the previous Minister asking for engagement on this issue — so far the response has been sporadic,” said Williams. “We need clear ministerial leadership on the stolen vehicle crisis with the respect to the role of CBSA. Local car theft is being enabled by the lack of federal action on CBSA enforcement.”
Members of the group met later on with the city of Montreal to further press for action on fighting stolen vehicles.