Public Safety committee  That's a small sample size, yes. It's just what I can refer to on the carjacking issue.

Public Safety committee  It is a good question. I believe they're of equal importance. The ability to solve crimes and investigate crimes is equally as important as the ultimate sentencing in the court process.

Public Safety committee  Again, I wish I had the data and the specific information to be able to answer that question confidently, but I do believe that we've seen an increase.

Public Safety committee  I think we referred to some stats. Sixty-eight percent are sentenced to under six months, and fewer than 1% are sentenced to more than two years.

Public Safety committee  Every case is different. Obviously when there are aggravating factors and additional charges, windfall evidence, firearms or other associated offences, I would like to think that the sentences reflect that, and I'm sure they do.

Public Safety committee  I don't have the data for that. I would imagine we're getting stronger sentences if there are firearms involved. I would certainly hope so.

Public Safety committee  It's hard to quantify it exactly. There are multiple stages and layers in the auto theft process. There are spotters; they sometimes make a couple hundred dollars just to identify a vehicle in a driveway, which will later be stolen by a thief. That thief may make somewhere between several hundred dollars to a couple thousand dollars to steal it.

Public Safety committee  Again, I don't really have the data to support that, but we'll see crews—these are auto theft crews—working together, and they'll steal multiple vehicles in one night.

Public Safety committee  I'd like to think that there is a deterrent with the sentences, and there should be a deterrent. That should be one part of it. It's also providing justice and a sense of safety for the public, so it's a combination of all of those factors.

Public Safety committee  I wouldn't say that. Again, I can only speak for Ontario, but I think the establishment of the major auto theft prosecution response team is going to counter a lot of those issues, if that is the case. However, we work very well with all of our partners at the Ministry of the Attorney General in putting cases before the court and prosecuting them.

Public Safety committee  I can't say that's something I am seeing. What I can say is that Jordan's principle is something we're working with. Our police officers are adapting and changing the way we investigate crimes and conduct disclosure. We are working with the Crown prosecutors in that manner.

Public Safety committee  I can obtain specific data, if that's what you're looking for. What I can speak to is the provincial carjacking task force. Those are the data and the stats that I have. Out of 124 arrests, 55 of those subjects were out on bail when arrested.

Public Safety committee  To answer that question, as an example, with the provincial carjacking task force we're seeing that a large percentage of the offenders arrested are out on bail at the time for either other offences or similar offences, and then the majority of the offenders are being released on bail when they're brought before the courts.

Public Safety committee  I can speak to that. It's a combination of all of those approaches. We're gathering information from the cars that are seized at the port. We're sharing that information directly with Équité and other insurance industry partners. We have regular ongoing collaborative meetings with global automakers.

Public Safety committee  That is correct, and I was specifically referring to the carjacking task force, and it was around 40% of the offenders we were arresting who were out of bail at the time.