The report, released Tuesday, said auto theft in Canada is trending toward “pre-crisis levels” before 2021, when the number of auto thefts shot up. Get breaking National news Get breaking Canada news delivered to your inbox as it happens so you won't miss a trending story. Atlantic Canada saw the smallest reduction in reported auto thefts — from 910 in the first half of 2025 to 873 reported in this first half of 2026, a decrease of 4.1 per cent. In 2024, the federal government announced a new national action plan to “disrupt, dismantle and prosecute” the organized crime groups behind auto thefts through tougher criminal penalties, more inspections of shipping containers and better intelligence-sharing. The Équité report from February said that while the strategy appeared to be working, Canadians remain vulnerable to car theft rings and a spike in vehicle finance fraud detected at ports in Montreal and Halifax.