OTTAWA — ‘Tis the season for drunk driving and the NDP wants to crack down with a private member’s bill that will allow for random breath tests.
St. Jean MP Tarik Brahmi will table the bill Thursday, accompanied by representatives from Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
In an interview Wednesday, MADD Canada national president Angeliki Souranis said the idea is to compel drivers to submit to a breathalyzer test when stopped at a police roadblock.
“Right now, the way it works is police can stop you but they must have reason to believe you are intoxicated or impaired. With random breath testing it’s across the board. You stop, you blow and you go,” she said.
“If you are not impaired, if you have nothing to hide, it’s relatively fast. It’s a relatively easy process and there’s no perceived bias. Everybody’s treated the same way.”
Souranis said she’s “thrilled” the NDP has decided to introduce the bill and is hopeful it will be adopted.
Justice Minister Peter MacKay has said on several occasions that his government was examining possible changes to impaired driving laws. He’s indicated his department was looking into whether police should be allowed to demand random breath checks to deter drunk driving and was also considering mandatory minimum sentences for drunk driving.
He said the government was also considering changing the Criminal Code offence for impaired driving causing death to “vehicular manslaughter” to better reflect society’s “abhorrence” of impaired driving.
