(Ottawa) Conservative opposition leader Pierre Poilievre is blaming the national crime spike and the recent murder of an Ontario teenager on what he calls the failure of Liberal, NDP and Bloc policies.
Poilievre held a news conference in London, Ont., on Thursday, just a day after the community held a vigil for 17-year-old Breanna Broadfoot, who police say was a victim of domestic violence.
The Conservative leader says the suspect had already been arrested but was released before the fatal attack on the teenager.
Mr. Poilievre claims that Mr.me Broadfoot is the latest victim of the government’s “radical, liberal” policies and has reiterated previous calls for bail reform.
Statistics Canada released a report Thursday showing that police-reported crime increased by 2.5 per cent in 2023, although violent crime remained virtually unchanged.
Mr. Poilievre promises that if his party forms government, it will reform the bail system, end the safe supply of drugs and close supervised consumption sites near schools.
New Democratic Party (NDP) Leader Jagmeet Singh says he questions the veracity of Poilievre’s comments and accuses him of playing politics with people’s lives.
The justice minister did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Statistics Canada says the increase in crime is largely due to higher rates of child pornography, fraud, shoplifting and vehicle theft reported to police.
While extortions, robberies and assaults involving weapons or bodily harm increased, homicides decreased by 14% compared to last year, the report said.
Sexual violations against children also decreased by 10% in 2023.