Madam Chair, as I have said repeatedly, the RCMP made the decision to investigate. The RCMP worked with the Public Prosecution Service of Canada to determine whether to begin the process and when to end it.
House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2021, with 43% of the vote.
Business of Supply May 14th, 2019
Madam Chair, as I have said repeatedly, the RCMP made the decision to investigate. The RCMP worked with the Public Prosecution Service of Canada to determine whether to begin the process and when to end it.
Business of Supply May 14th, 2019
Madam Chair, I reject the premise of the question.
As I have said a number of times this evening, the director of the Public Prosecution Service of Canada said, twice, that there was no political interference. The prosecutor in the Vice-Admiral Norman case said the same thing. I trust what they say.
The Department of Justice produced the documents. We met our obligations to the court and were complimented for doing so.
Business of Supply May 14th, 2019
Madam Chair, as one of the first jurisdictions to legalize cannabis, we began the process first of all by consulting. The Minister of Border Security, as he then was, consulted across Canada. We are currently testing two devices under my jurisdiction in order to get us past the finish line with ever better methods of testing.
Business of Supply May 14th, 2019
Madam Chair, I believe that those hon. members may contribute later on this evening, but we will see what happens.
Mandatory roadside testing is seen as an efficient way to police our roads and make driving safer. The kinds of provisions that we have placed in Bill C-46, which is now the law, will save lives.
Business of Supply May 14th, 2019
Madam Chair, an obvious example is that the person is not going to drive a car. If someone is going to get behind the wheel of a car and take command of a motor vehicle, it is reasonable to expect that the person might be pulled over, particularly if he or she was also consuming alcohol. It is a pretty clear that if a person does not get behind the wheel of a car, the person has a reasonable expectation that he or she will not be tested.
Business of Supply May 14th, 2019
Madam Chair, as I had begun to state in one of my previous answers, this kind of legislation already exists in 16 states in the United States. It exists in Ireland, where it is credited for saving lives. It has been tested in the United States under American constitutional law, and we believe it will pass muster under the charter.
Business of Supply May 14th, 2019
Madam Chair, as with any criminal offence, the police have the power to investigate a possible impaired driving offence at someone's home. However, the police, as they did before this legislation existed, have to form reasonable grounds to believe that the driver has committed the impaired driving offence before they can demand a breath sample. If the driver had no reasonable expectation of being asked to provide a sample and their blood alcohol concentration was consistent with not being over the legal limit, they would not be convicted under the new law.
Business of Supply May 14th, 2019
Madam Chair, mandatory alcohol screening will support the police in deterring and detecting impaired driving. The evidence clearly demonstrates that mandatory alcohol screening will deter impaired driving and save lives.
The law does not give police any more powers than they already have under common law and provincial law to stop drivers at random to determine their sobriety, but when investigating impaired driving away from the roadside, police, as always, must form a reasonable suspicion to believe that a driver has committed the impaired driving offence before they can demand a breath sample. This kind of screening is authorized in more than 40 countries around the world, including Australia, New Zealand, Germany, France, Denmark, Sweden, Ireland and the Netherlands.
Business of Supply May 14th, 2019
Madam Chair, I thank the hon. member for his work.
Our government is proud to have delivered on one of its key promises to strengthen our laws on impaired driving by punishing more severely those who are driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs. This has been the first significant reform of the Criminal Code transportation regime in more than 40 years. We have strengthened law enforcement's ability to detect drug impaired driving by authorizing the use of roadside oral fluid screening devices. The hon. member was correct to say that there are two currently being tested and also that the police had already developed means over the years to try to identify the behaviour. We have also placed limits on impaired driving defences, thereby closing two loopholes in the law, specifically for particularly highly risky driving behaviour. It is an approach that is used in 16 states in the U.S. and has been upheld by courts and will save lives and will be compliant with the charter rights of Canadians.
Business of Supply May 14th, 2019
Madam Chair, I stand by my previous answer and the citation of my views in the press that the hon. member mentioned. It was accurate. I am watching the situation very carefully.