Justice minister's government car stolen for the third time in as many years

Politicians and law enforcement officials are confronting a rising number of auto thefts — and it appears that the office of Canada's justice minister is also a popular target for thieves.

Justice Minister Arif Virani's government-owned Toyota Highlander XLE was stolen last November but was later recovered, according to documents tabled in the House of Commons last week.

It's the same car that was stolen and recovered last February when David Lametti was justice minister. Another 2019 Toyota Highlander was stolen during Lametti's tenure in February of 2021 — making this latest incident the third time a federal justice minister's car has been stolen in the past three years.

Government-owned vehicles assigned to other federal officials have also been stolen in recent years.

A 2022 Toyota Highlander assigned to Emergency Preparedness Minister Harjit Sajjan was taken last February when he was still the minister of international development. It was later recovered.

Canada Revenue Agency Commissioner Bob Hamilton's 2019 Highlander was stolen in 2022. It still hasn't been found.

Federal ministers met with law enforcement, border officials and industry players Thursday for a national summit to address a rising wave of auto thefts.

«It's unprecedented,» RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme said during the daylong meeting.

«And the extreme violence that's associated to that and what we're seeing, it's something that was never seen before.»

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told the gathering that the rise in thefts over the past few years «has been alarming.» He hinted at tougher penalties.

«Organized crime is becoming more brazen, and the overseas market for the stolen cars is expanding,» he said.

When asked what tougher penalties might look like,