2,400% rise in Surrey extortion cases is Carney\u2019s fault: Poilievre<\/p>\n
Published 12:30 pm Friday, May 22, 2026<\/p>\n
There has been a 2,400% rise in extortion cases in Surrey <\/a>since Mark Carney became Prime Minister, said Pierre Poilievre, leader of the official opposition, in Surrey on Friday (May 22).<\/p>\n \u201cMark Carney, this is an extortion crisis, and your Liberal laws are responsible for it. It\u2019s time for you to pull your head out of the sand, reverse your laws, and lock up the criminals, kick out the terrorist visitors, and restore safety to the streets of Surrey and the Lower Mainland,\u201d Poilievre said.<\/p>\n Poilievre was in Surrey for a press conference outside Nirwan Flooring, a Cloverdale business that was hit by gunfire in March. The same business complex saw two shootings that month.<\/p>\n The first three months of 2026 saw 75 extortion reports in Surrey, compared to just three in the same time period in 2025.<\/p>\n This is according to the latest numbers posted on the Surrey Police Service website.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cBut don\u2019t worry, when he (Carney) came here, he went to White Rock<\/a> and handed out bagels and doughnuts and promised to paint the pier during a nice walk on the beach. Well, behind me, Nirwan, this business behind me was actually shot,\u201d Poilievre said Friday.<\/p>\n Carney visited White Rock in November 2025. The Prime Minister was also in Surrey in February<\/a> to meet with senior law enforcement leaders of the B.C. extortion task force.<\/p>\n The meeting was held to discuss what is working, what needs to be done, and where improvements can be made in tackling the ongoing extortion crisis impacting cities across the Lower Mainland.<\/p>\n But Poilievre said urgent action is needed to make streets and homes safe again.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter 11 years of Liberal soft-on-crime policies, violent repeat offenders have been released back onto Canada\u2019s streets, and communities across our country are paying the price,\u201d Poilievre said. \u201cMark Carney is trying to claim that his government is getting tough on crime. Yet his flagship crime legislation, C-16, contains a clause enabling judges to ignore almost any mandatory minimums the Liberals haven\u2019t gotten around to repealing yet.\u201d<\/p>\n The clause known as the \u201csafety valve\u201d would preserve judicial discretion to impose a different sentence in cases where a mandatory minimum would constitute \u201ccruel and unusual punishment for the individual before the court,\u201d reads a post on justice.canada. ca <\/a>about the bill.<\/p>\n Poilievre said there was no foreign interference in Canada before the Liberals took power.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Liberals have made Canada a playground for foreign interference and international gangsterism,\u201d he said. \u201cSo we need a government that will actually defend Canada against foreign interference, shut down these crime syndicates, kick out the criminals who are visiting, and lock up the ones who are citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n Poilievre said he is calling on the federal government to \u201ctake immediate action\u201d and ensure mandatory minimums are back in Bill C-16 and introduce a bill that would impose mandatory minimum sentences for extortion tied to organized crime.<\/p>\n There is a bill currently making its way through the Senate that, if passed, will \u201ctoughen bail and sentencing laws\u201d for extortion and other crimes.<\/p>\n In October, the federal government introduced the Bail and Sentencing Reform Act, known as Bill C-14, in the House of Commons.<\/p>\n