“The current system has failed to get drunk drivers off our roads.”

Ottawa – Garry Breitkreuz, Member of Parliament for Yorkton-Melville in the House of Commons yesterday seconded a private member’s bill introduced by Leon Benoit, Member of Parliament for Lakeland (Alberta), that will strengthen drunk driving legislation.

”The current system has failed to get drunk drivers off our roads,” stated Breitkreuz. “The Criminal Code makes it difficult for police officers to gather evidence against impaired driving suspects. As a result, many do not bother to lay charges. It comes down to many officers believing that their work will not result in convictions. The thoughts and actions of Canada’s police officers need to change, but it needs to start with the law itself. We need to treat this crime more seriously.”

Breitkreuz says the goal of the bill is to aid in the prosecution of drunk drivers through the following initiatives:

Ø allow for an increase in the time frame within which breath or blood samples can be taken;

Ø allow the courts to use the sample results as proof of blood alcohol level (in the absence of evidence to the contrary);

Ø when the results are challenged, place the evidential burden on the accused to dispute the results, based on the balance of probabilities;

Ø and require a court to consider other evidence when deciding whether the accused has discharged the burden of proof.

“It is a shame that, on average, four Canadians die every day as a result of drunk driving, and another two hundred are seriously injured,” continued Breitkreuz. “These numbers are preventable, and we want to see them drop. The grief that results from drunk driving is immeasurable. It is devastating to see it occurring at such an alarming rate.”

“I look for strong support across the country for this bill so that we can send an equally strong message to the federal government that this is an important issue,” concluded Breitkreuz.

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