Tories Roll Out New Proposals to Combat Rising Business Extortion

Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre speaks to reporters next to the Port of Montreal on Feb. 6, 2024. Noé Chartier/The Epoch Times

The Conservatives have proposed new regulations to combat the rising problem of extortion across Canada.

“Extortion is up in Ontario by 263 percent, Alberta: 284 percent, and British Columbia by 386 percent,” said Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre at a Feb. 9 press conference.

“Can you imagine that? A 386 percent increase in extortions of beautiful families who run businesses like this, getting letters knowing that their kids could be harmed if they don’t sign over their life savings to a criminal?”

Mr. Poilievre made his comments in a business district in Surrey, B.C., where, according to police, a shooting targeted a commercial establishment in November.

According to a report from Statistics Canada, the frequency of police-reported extortion has seen an upward trend for three consecutive years, culminating in 2022. The rate of extortion in that year was fivefold higher than it was ten years ago.

According to a Feb. 9 Tory press release, this increase in crime rates comes in the wake of Mr. Trudeau’s administration easing the process for criminals, particularly gang members and extortionists, to be released from jail and potentially commit further offenses. Mayors from British Columbia and Ontario have reached out to the Prime Minister’s Office, urging for actions to mitigate the disorder.

The Tories have proposed a suite of new legislation to curb the problem.

The proposed measures include implementing a mandatory three-year prison sentence for individuals convicted of extortion. For those acting on behalf of gangs and organized crime, the mandatory sentence will increase to five years.

This approach aims not only to incarcerate the perpetrators but also to provide law enforcement and prosecutors with additional leverage to target the masterminds behind criminal organizations.

Additionally, the reintroduction of a mandatory four-year sentence for extortion involving a firearm is planned. Arson is slotted to be considered an aggravating factor in extortion cases, potentially leading to more severe penalties.

A reporter in Surrey noted that mandatory minimum sentences have been repeatedly struck down by the Supreme Court.

“Many of our mandatory prison sentences have been upheld by the courts,” Mr. Poilievre responded.

“All of our proposals are Charter-proof,” he added. “They respect the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.”

The CBC reported that Toronto’s Peel police have created an Extortion Investigative Task Force, which is currently probing 29 cases of extortion and has recently charged an additional five individuals linked to some of these cases, according to the police service.

This task force was established in December following reports from South Asian business owners about receiving threats of violence toward them and their families unless they paid a ransom to avert such incidents.

During a press conference on Feb. 7, Superintendent Shelley Thompson, the leader of the task force, announced that 24 charges have been filed in connection to the 29 cases of extortion being examined.

Supt. Thompson noted that in nine of these cases, shots were fired at businesses when they were closed, though no injuries from these incidents have been reported.

The businesses targeted are diverse, ranging from restaurants and bakeries to trucking and transport firms, and independent used car dealerships, all owned by South Asians. The method of contact for these threats has been through phone calls, social media platforms, or video calling services like WhatsApp, Supt. Thompson explained.