The federal government intends to bring in amendments to the Criminal Code that would crack down heavily on crooks involved in identity theft.

Justice Minister Rob Nicholson was short on details on the severity of the amendments but said sharpening the Criminal Code will give police better tools to combat the theft trend that is constantly growing thanks to technology.

The federal government has announced plans to introduce amendments to the Criminal Code to combat the growing problem of identity theft.
(CBC)

"If we can't stay ahead of the bad guys, then at least we can catch up with them," Nicholson told a news conference Tuesday.

Several major credit and debit card companies welcomed news of the Tory government's commitment to combating a crime that the Canadian Council of Better Business Bureaus estimates costs consumers, businesses and the financial sector nearly $2 billion each year.

Nicholson said when Parliament resumes this month, the government will introduce amendments that will allow police to intervene sooner and, hopefully, before frauds are perpetrated.

Jacques Hebert of the Canadian Bankers Association called the government's commitment "a much needed step forward."

"For years now, the banking industry has been advocating that government take action to address legislative and other gaps [that] hinder the fight against identity theft," Hebert said. 

The Criminal Code currently includes offences involving the misuse of people's identity. But the government and debit and credit industry officials agree that the law falls short in addressing the collecting, possession and trafficking of identity information.

The justice minister could not say exactly what the new amendments will entail until they are tabled.

"The actual collection or possession of very personal information — huge amounts of personal information that is made possible through technology — that is generally not covered by the Criminal Code," Nicholson said.

The new law would be directed specifically at those people, Nicholson said. He also said he hopes to revive a number of highly touted Tory anti-crime bills that died on the order paper, including mandatory sentences for gun crimes and raising the age of sexual consent.

"I'm going to be looking for co-operation to get those bills reinstated in Parliament," Nicholson said.