Poilievre proposes mandatory minimum prison sentences for extortion

Pierre Poilievre says a Conservative government will establish mandatory minimum prison sentences for anyone convicted of extortion.

The opposition leader said Friday that extortion-related crime has skyrocketed, with police in multiple provinces dealing with organized crime threats against businesses.

Poilievre’s remarks were delivered in a commercial centre in Surrey, B.C., where police say shots were fired at a business in November last year.

He said small businesses in communities like Surrey have faced increasing threats of violence, kidnapping, arson and shootings.

“This is insane and it should not be happening in Canada,” he said.

The opposition leader singled out the Liberal government’s amendments to the Criminal Code in 2022 that repealed some mandatory minimum penalties for various crimes, including a four-year minimum for extortion with a firearm.

However, there remains a five-year mandatory minimum sentence for first-time extortionists who use a restricted or prohibited firearm, or who use any type of gun on behalf of a criminal organization.

Poilievre said the Conservatives would impose mandatory minimum sentences of three years on anyone convicted of extortion, and five years for someone found to be “acting on behalf of gangs or organized crime.”

He said his party’s plan would give police and prosecutors another tool to target “ringleaders” of criminal gangs, and restore the four-year mandatory minimum sentence for all extortionists who use a firearm, regardless of the type or circumstances.

Poilievre also said arson would be considered an “aggravating factor” in extortion cases, and there would be a reversal of what he called “catch and release” policing.

His comments come amid a wave of extortion threats,