Mr. Speaker, the festive season is upon us and with it the sad reality that party goers may get behind the wheel of their car drunk, endangering their lives and the lives of their passengers and innocent Canadians.
In Ontario alcohol related offences jumped 22% in the first week of the police holiday RIDE program over the same period last year. In just one week 146 people were charged with drinking and driving.
Impaired driving is the largest single criminal cause of death in this country. Every six hours someone is killed by a drunk driver and yet nothing has been done at the federal level to address this serious problem.
MADD Canada has repeatedly made demands for changes to the Criminal Code in an effort to deter drinking and driving and protect the lives of innocent Canadians. To date their demands have fallen on deaf ears.
As a result, provinces such as Alberta and Ontario, not the federal government, are leading the way to make those who drive while impaired face stiffer penalties.