C-379Combating Motor Vehicle Theft Act
An Act to amend the Criminal Code (motor vehicle theft)
Private member's bill, introduced in the House of Commons on February 12, 2024
- Status
- Defeated at second reading in the House of Commons
What it does
Raises the prison minimum for repeat motor vehicle theft and limits conditional sentences for those offences.
What it does
- Raises the minimum prison term to three years for a third or later motor vehicle theft conviction prosecuted by indictment, with a maximum of 10 years.
- Requires courts to give primary consideration to whether the theft was committed for the benefit of, at the direction of, or in association with a criminal organization.
- Bars conditional sentence orders for motor vehicle theft offences prosecuted by indictment under section 333.1 of the Criminal Code.
Who it affects
- People convicted of motor vehicle theft
- Repeat offenders
- Judges
- Criminal justice system
Topics
Background
It changes section 333.1 of the Criminal Code, which deals with motor vehicle theft.
Where it is
House of Commons
First reading
Completed.
Second reading
Defeated here. Defeated
Committee
Not reached.
Report stage
Not reached.
Third reading
Not reached.
Senate
First reading
Not reached.
Second reading
Not reached.
Committee
Not reached.
Third reading
Not reached.
Royal assent
Royal assent
Not reached.
Introduced by an MP who is not a minister. These bills compete in a lottery for debate time, and most do not become law. How a bill becomes law
How the House voted
2nd reading of Bill C-379, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (motor vehicle theft)
Vote 855,
Failed
149 yeato170 nay · 2 paired
Party breakdown for vote 855 Party Position Yea Nay Did not vote Liberal Nay 0 147 7 Conservative Yea 117 0 2 Bloc Yea 30 0 2 NDP Nay1 broke ranks 1 21 2 Green Nay 0 1 1 Independent Split evenly 1 1 1 Total 149 170
What MPs said
Each party’s first speech on this bill in the House, from Hansard. Excerpts are the speaker’s opening sentences, unedited.
LiberalRyan Turnbull· May 2, 2024
“Bill C-379 proposes to increase the mandatory minimum sentence of imprisonment for a third or subsequent motor vehicle theft from six months to three years. We know that mandatory minimum penalties restrict a court's ability to consider the unique circumstances of a case.”
Read the full speech on openparliament.caConservativeRandy Hoback· May 2, 2024
“It is something that he spent a lot of time on, and of course there is the staff and the people within the OLO who helped us out to get the bill exactly the way we wanted it. This is a piece of legislation that I think all members in the House can actually get behind.”
Read the full speech on openparliament.caBlocDenis Trudel· May 2, 2024
“Bill C-379 does not adequately respond to the main demand of the Montreal police service, which is that sections be added to the Criminal Code specifically to address the exportation of stolen vehicles. Nevertheless, this bill is an important step in the fight against auto theft and its repercussions.”
Read the full speech on openparliament.caNDPPeter Julian· May 2, 2024
“I will get into some reasons a little later on as to why I do not think this bill is the response that is needed, but I want to start off by talking about British Columbia and the British Columbia difference. We have been talking a lot about car thefts.”
Read the full speech on openparliament.ca
Read the source
LEGISinfo status: Bill defeated. Bill data from LEGISinfo, votes from openparliament.ca and the House of Commons. Last updated October 13, 2026.