Poilievre says Ontario teenager's killing shows Liberal, NDP policies have failed

Opposition Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre blames a national rise in crime and the recent killing of an Ontario teenager on what he calls failed Liberal and NDP policies.

Poilievre held a press conference in London, Ont., today, just one day after the community held a vigil for Breanna Broadfoot, 17, who police say was a victim of intimate partner violence.

Poilievre says the suspect had previously been arrested, but was released before the fatal attack on Broadfoot.

The Conservative leader says Broadfoot is the latest victim of radical "wacko" policies by the Liberals and NDP, and repeated his previous calls for bail reform.

Statistics Canada released a report today showing police-reported crime was up 2.5 per cent in 2023, though violent crimes remained virtually unchanged.

Poilievre promises that if his party forms government he will reform the bail system, end safe supply of drugs, and close supervised consumption sites.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he questions how genuine Poilievre's comments are, and accuses him of playing politics with people's lives.

The Justice Minister didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Statistics Canada says the crime increase is driven largely by a higher rate of police-reported child pornography, fraud, shoplifts and vehicle theft.

While extortion, robbery and assault committed with a weapon or causing bodily harm was up, homicides were down 14 per cent compared to last year, the report shows.

Sexual violations against children were also down 10 per cent in 2023.