Toronto, Ontario -- The Insurance Bureau of Canada is praising the Government of Canada for progress on the National Action Plan on Combatting Auto Theft.
“IBC and its members commend the federal government for its ongoing commitment to combatting auto theft,” said Liam McGuinty, vice-president of federal affairs for the Insurance Bureau of Canada. “However, now is not the time to rest on our laurels — auto theft rates remain above historical levels and continues to disrupt the lives of Canadians from coast to coast.”
The IBC said it backed the government because reported theft fell year over year while Ottawa, provinces and police took concrete steps that made it harder to steal vehicles and to ship them overseas.
The National Action Plan on Combatting Auto Theft was launched on May 20, 2024. The plan brought together Public Safety Canada, the Canada Border Services Agency, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Transport Canada, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, provincial and territorial partners, police services and industry. Its aims were straightforward: cut theft at the source, stop exports of stolen vehicles and disrupt the organized groups behind the crime.
Border enforcement formed a central pillar of the action plan. The Canada Border Services Agency intercepted 2,277 stolen vehicles in 2024 and another 666 by May 31, 2025 as it added officers and mobile scanners at high-risk ports, rail yards and intermodal hubs. It acted as a twenty-four seven point of contact when trackers showed stolen vehicles at facilities and developed a plan to share import and export Vehicle Identification Number data with partners.
National policing tools were also expanded. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police linked Canada’s stolen-vehicle records to INTERPOL in 2024 to speed cross-border checks. RCMP officers embedded with Ontario and Quebec police on joint projects that targeted export routes and theft rings, and deployed vehicle examiners overseas to identify Canadian vehicles before they left foreign ports. The Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada supported cases with 75 disclosures tied to auto-theft money flows.
Port and facility security was tightened. Transport Canada completed targeted security assessments at high-risk marine terminals and followed with inspections to verify updates. It also moved to modernize the Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations by preparing immobilizer updates so factory anti-theft systems would be harder to bypass, with draft text planned for publication in fall 2025.
Technology and innovation were funded. Through Innovative Solutions Canada, the federal government awarded eight phase-one projects to test new anti-theft concepts, with up to two phase-two prototypes eligible for larger support after review.
The bureau framed the improved results against long-term losses that remained elevated. It noted that theft claims counts had risen by 115 percent since 2014 and losses by 371 percent, even with a recent year-over-year decline of 21 percent. McGuinty said the government should complete all items in the plan and strengthen the Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standards so vehicles were harder to steal at the source.
“We continue to encourage the federal government to implement all recommendations within its National Action Plan on Combatting Auto Theft, including strengthening the Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards to ensure vehicles are better designed to prevent vehicle theft,” he said.
