Amid Surging Car Thefts, It’s Liberal ‘Word Magic’ vs Poilievre’s Common Sense

By Spencer Fernando, Exclusive to the National Citizens Coalition

Liberal problem-solving:

Watch an issue worsen.

Do nothing.

Watch it worsen further.

Keep doing nothing.

Hold some meetings.

Keep doing nothing.

Wait until Pierre Poilievre brings up the issue.

Attack his proposed solution.

Claim that you’re ‘working on the issue.’

Pretend that telling people you’re ‘working on it’ magically solves it.

Accuse Poilievre of worsening the issue by talking about it.

Rinse, repeat.

That’s how the Liberals have ‘dealt with’ countless issues, including the issue of car theft.

This week, we’ve seen that approach on full display, as the Liberals flail around in their attempt to attack Pierre Poilievre’s plan to address the surge in car thefts under the Liberals.

Here is the four-point plan Poilievre introduced:

• Increase the mandatory prison time from six months to three years for a third offence of motor vehicle theft.

• Remove eligibility for house arrest if convicted of motor vehicle theft by way of indictment.

• Create a new, specific aggravating factor where the offence of motor vehicle theft is committed for the benefit of organized crime.

• Repeal catch-and-release rules in Trudeau’s Bill C-75 to ensure that repeat offenders get jail, not bail.

These are simple, common-sense ideas.

Increasing deterrence through tougher sentences.

Keeping car thieves in jail for longer.

It’s not rocket science.

It’s simply a rational response.

If potential car thieves fear a tougher sentence, some will reconsider their actions.

Those who don’t, and get caught, will be stuck in jail, thus unable to commit further crimes.

There’s really nothing to argue against here.

Flailing around

But that hasn’t stopped the Liberals from responding.

Their main line of attack has been to claim that they are already ‘working on’ the issue and that Pierre Poilievre’s ideas won’t do anything.

Here’s what Justice Minister Arif Virani had to say:

“It looks like Pierre Poilievre has finally woken up to the issue of auto theft—  but his redundant ideas won’t help.

While he’s out giving empty speeches, we’ve been working with police, provinces and the auto industry to find solutions to keep Canadians safe.”

Now, this is where we get to the main divide on this issue – and many others – between the Liberals and the Conservatives.

The Liberals appear to believe that words have some sort of magic power, and that speaking about something can generate a different outcome even when the underlying failed policy stays the same.

For example, they continue to talk about ‘climate action,’ while imposing a carbon tax that makes Canadians poorer without any measurable emissions reductions.

In fact, when it comes to emissions, Canada is doing worse than countries like the United States that don’t have a carbon tax. 

Yet, the Liberals just keep uttering the carbon tax mantra as if that will change reality on its own. 

When it comes to drug overdoes, the more deaths go up, the more the Liberals claim we need ‘harm reduction’ and ‘safe supply.’

On grocery prices, the Liberals keep talking about ‘confronting the big grocery store CEOs,’ even as prices keep going up.

On political divisions, the Liberals keep claiming they want to avoid divisive politics while dividing Canadians every chance they get – including by using Alberta as a punching bag over and over again.

On housing and immigration, the Liberals keep ramping up immigration to absurd levels, while holding meetings and making announcements on ‘housing affordability’ without addressing the underlying issue of rapid population expansion that is pushing up prices.

On issue after issue, the trend is clear.

The Liberals simply hold meetings and make announcements and then act as if that will magically solve the problems they create.

They get no results. Things keep getting worse. But they keep thinking they’re just one more meeting or press conference away from the issue being solved all without ever changing their underlying policies.

The contrast with Poilievre couldn’t be clearer. Poilievre identifies the issue, then proposes a common-sense solution that reverses failed policies.

Car theft surging? Keep car thieves in jail.

Food prices out of control? Cancel the carbon tax.

Drug overdoses rising? Stop giving out free drugs and push for treatment instead.

Housing affordability crisis? Tie immigration growth to housing supply growth.

Gun crime rising? Go after criminals and toughen the border rather than criminalizing hunters and sport shooters.

Obviously, the Liberals should already be doing all of that. But they aren’t. And they’ve run out of time to change course.

The Liberals have failed so miserably, and are stubbornly committed to their extremist ideology, that Poilievre now has the lane of ‘common-sense problem solver’ all to himself.

And that’s a key reason he leads in the polls. 

Canadians aren’t looking for arrogant lectures from Justin Trudeau, or socialist class-warfare tactics from Jagmeet Singh.

Instead, they’re looking for someone who can identify the challenges facing the country and address those challenges with tangible policy proposals.

And the more Canadians look at the choices on offer in the upcoming election, the more they see that Pierre Poilievre is the only federal leader offering a way out of our national malaise.

Spencer Fernando is one of the most popular and prolific political voices in Canada. He is a writer and campaign fellow for the National Citizens Coalition. Join the mailing list to receive his exclusive weekly columns in your inbox.

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