QUESTION PERIOD — Public Safety
Crime Prevention
February 4, 2026
Government leader, extortion and gun crimes, which I asked about yesterday, are not the only public safety challenges on the rise in B.C. BC Hydro is now reporting that in just the past two months, 1.3 kilometres of copper cables have been stolen from its network in the city of Surrey alone. In fact, nationally, copper wire theft has grown by 200% annually since 2021 and by over 300% in my province of B.C. in the past 18 months. These crimes disrupt essential services, endanger public safety and place added costs on families.
Senator Moreau, what is your government doing to address the rising copper wire theft in British Columbia and across the country?
When you raised the issue of the Surrey situation yesterday, I reported that arrests have already been made. I pointed out that the government is now spending more money on police and resources to ensure that all Canadians feel safe everywhere and that kind of scheme will be prevented.
The government is committed to doing whatever it can to ensure police forces are well equipped to face things like the copper situation that you are raising today, as well as what you raised yesterday regarding the Surrey extortion scheme.
The issue regarding the theft of copper is that it’s the work of a highly organized criminal organization that operates without fear or consequence.
How are Canadians supposed to be reassured by your government’s approach to crime when those responsible for justice and public safety today were also part of the Trudeau cabinet that systematically dismantled the criminal justice system over the past 10 years?
We had the privilege of having the justice minister here before the Christmas break. He was quite clear that we want to be tough on crime and that the government will be. As a matter of fact, we are introducing new legal measures, and we are amending the Criminal Code so that those crimes will be punished, and we are funding police forces at the same time to make sure that Canadians can feel safe everywhere in Canada.
