For starters, the consequences you spoke of would be more or less the same for all provinces. For example, an Ontario driver would pay higher private insurance premiums after an conviction for impaired driving. Everything you talked about would apply if the BAC limit was lowered from 80 to 50. The consequences would be the same.
I mentioned in my opening statement the possibility of establishing the legal limit somewhere between 50 and 80. Perhaps we could consider a summary procedure, a somewhat harsh penalty given that the individual in question does not pose the same threat as others. I do not know how the Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec would feel about a conviction based on a BAC of between 50 and 80. If Quebec opted to impose an administrative suspension, these officials would be fully within their rights to tack on additional sanctions, from an insurance standpoint. This has nothing to do with the Criminal Code.
You talk about injuries and terms of imprisonment. This is very serious business. Person will be charged under the Criminal Code and could have their license suspended for several years. The consequences in Canada are very serious. More than likely, in cases where the BAC is 80, we will see some of the toughest penalties ever imposed. Neither Australia nor the United States impose minimum $1,000 fines or one-year license suspensions. Again, I don't think we're going to be very successful if we impose tougher Criminal Code sanctions. There are no provisions in the Criminal Code covering cases where the BAC is between 50 and 80. It is up to this committee to decide if individuals who register in this range, who are more dangerous than persons who are sober, should also face criminal charges and if so, what sanctions would be appropriate.