Thank you.
First of all, thank you for your questions. I appreciate them.
It's interesting to talk about minimums and the whole content surrounding minimums. When I talked to some of the different driving instructors, I asked what would have the most impact in getting that message not to drink and drive out to young people when they're learning how to drive. They said that it's when you can tell them what is going to happen as a result of drinking and driving.
First of all, we're going to detect it, so we have to make sure that resources are in place to detect it. Second, it's inexcusable because of time restrictions to have 50 people not go through the system and not have their day in court when they have already been charged. It is something that I think the province will have to deal with in how they fund their courts. I can't comment on that. I don't know a lot about it, so I'll leave that alone.
What I will tell you is what these driving instructors are telling me. They're saying that when you can go in there and tell students what the impact is, when you tell them about the damage and the harm they will do to people and their families.... For example, we've seen schools at graduation time take a damaged car and put it on the front lawn just to shock students at graduation about what happens when you drink and drive. They're saying that if they have the ability to explain to the students the consequences, the students will take a second look and say that it's serious.
Another comment that came out when I was discussing it with MADD is that they actually would like to see higher minimum sentences. They'd like to see them be a lot more. In fact, their concern is that they're only going to get one kick at this and we won't get enough for it. I can understand why they're coming forward. We have to balance a combination of things. Again, I will take amendments from this committee. I'm wide open. What I feel is that this is just a good place to start.
When they're talking about marijuana and driving, and drugs and driving, that's another concern. With the fact that there are some tests coming into play in the future, MADD says that suddenly students realize that if they have a joint somebody is going to detect it, so all of a sudden they say they don't want to do that. The fear of the consequences of being caught, the fact that they can be caught, is having an impact on them and they're saying that they don't want to do it. That's the goal in this case.