A non-profit organization responsible for informing Quebecers about alcohol consumption, Éduc’alcool has opposed for nearly 20 years the adoption of an administrative measure for drivers with more than 50 mg of alcohol per day. 100 ml of blood. An incomprehensible position for the experts consulted by Duty.
“On the 0.05, we were absolutely polar opposites [avec Éduc’alcool] », says Jean-Marie De Koninck. In addition to being founding president of Operation Red Nose, the Laval University professor chaired the Quebec Road Safety Table from 2005 to 2015, which had the mandate to make recommendations to the Minister of Transport to improve the road report.
In 2007, it recommended that administrative sanctions be imposed starting at a blood alcohol level of 0.05, as is already the case elsewhere in the country, with the exception of the Yukon. The measure was then the subject of heated debate, because the Minister of Transport at the time, Julie Boulet, had included it in a bill on road safety.
To the surprise of Jean-Marie De Koninck, Éduc’alcool spoke out against the measure in the parliamentary committee studying the bill. “It was quite a few of them who killed our project, because they had a lot of credibility […] I think that [leur appui] would have made a big difference. »
A question shared by Julie Boulet. “It was a surprising reaction from an organization supposed to advocate responsible consumption,” said the former minister. I deeply believed in this measure. We suspended the license for 24 hours, there was no harm to the offenders, it would have made everyone drink a little less. »
A “constellation of measures”
In its brief submitted during work on the bill amending the Highway Safety Code, Éduc’alcool states that “it is difficult, if not impossible, to attribute to the drop in blood alcohol levels [à ce niveau] direct specific merits”, while recognizing that “it is indisputable that alcohol impairs the faculties of drivers even at a level of 0.05 or 0.06”. He goes on to say that alcohol alone cannot explain all accidents and that “a majority of road accidents are caused by perfectly sober drivers.”
The report concludes that “our society has limited resources” and “cannot invest resources everywhere”. “Adopting a measure without planning its implementation is like not adopting it at all,” wrote Éduc’alcool.
The position of the organization continues to create unease today, according to experts consulted by Duty. “This is false logic. You don’t need to do everything, you can focus on one thing at a time. This is the same argument that the tobacco industry used regarding legislation on smoke-free spaces,” underlines Mark Petticrew, co-author of a British study published in 2017 whose title translates as “How do smoke-free organizations the alcohol industry misleads the public about alcohol and cancer ».
In December 2010, when the new Minister of Transport, Sam Hamad, abandoned the 0.05 to ensure the adoption of the bill strengthening road safety, Éduc’alcool published a press release in which he welcomed the latest version of the bill.
In interview with DutyHubert Sacy, former director of Éduc’alcool, explains that the organization’s position was not intended to go against the grain. “In the context of the times, 0.05 was only going to give a false impression if there wasn’t a constellation of other measurements to accompany it. We wanted to hold politicians accountable. If you do this, it’s only to make yourself feel better. We don’t want to put up with that. We want serious and effective solutions that work […] Replacing a law that we do not apply with another law that we do not apply has zero results and this has been amply demonstrated. »
In 2017, the federal Department of Justice also opened the door to lowering the blood alcohol level while driving to 0.05, this time in the Criminal Code. Twenty-seven organizations were called upon to comment, including Éduc’alcool. The organization responded that more research and consultations needed to be done before such a reduction would be considered. The project has since been put on ice.
Too close to the industry?
During the parliamentary commission studying the 2007 bill, only Éduc’alcool, the Union of Bar Owners of Quebec and the Association of Restaurateurs of Quebec submitted a memorandum opposing the implementation of administrative measures from 0.05.
According to many, it is the lack of knowledge and incomprehension of the role of the organization (which also benefits from great credibility) which explains why Éduc’alcool was able to tip the balance in this matter.
Marie-Claude Morin, spokesperson for Mothers Against Drunk Driving, addressed the subject during these consultations. “Éduc’alcool is a non-profit organization, financed by alcohol sales in Quebec. So, for us, there is definitely a conflict of interest problem. I think that the people who sit on the board of directors of Éduc’alcool have a position that is unfavorable to any change that could involve a change in alcohol consumption,” she declared to the parliamentary committee. .
Mme Morin particularly remembers the numerous positions taken against the 0.05 from Éduc’alcool and the restaurant and bar industry. At the time, she said, the Quebec Restaurateurs Association had decided to capitalize on fear, by writing open letters in the media “to tell people that it’s over, they will no longer be able to have a drink with their spouse on Valentine’s Day.
Recommendations from the coroner
A sign that Éduc’alcool enjoys great credibility, it is not uncommon to see the organization targeted by recommendations from the coroner when it comes to deaths linked to drunk driving.
In November 2022, coroner Donald Nicole notably recommended “to the Ministry of Public Security of Quebec, to the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec and to Éduc’alcool to coordinate their efforts, in order to put in place permanent measures aimed at to remind drivers of the consequences of driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs.”
In interview with Dutycoroner Yvon Garneau says he considers that the organization must play a role in preventing deaths on the road and is not very satisfied with the responses that Éduc’alcool gives to the recommendations in this area. “It’s almost always the same rhetoric that circulates. They talk about moderation, but not the impacts of lowering the blood alcohol level to 0.05 […] “It might be a good idea to suggest they change their themes a little,” he says.
On January 26, the current director of Éduc’alcool, Geneviève Désautels, responded to the recommendations of the Coroner’s Office in six cases through a single missive, which Duty was able to consult.
She writes that Éduc’alcool is continuing its efforts to strengthen ties with all stakeholders and to “always better support the Quebec population in making informed choices regarding responsible consumption.”
For Mme Désautels, taking office in 2022, there is no question of supporting the adoption of 0.05 as long as its implementation is not accompanied by other measures, such as “support services which make more common sense , particularly in the regions. In interview with Dutyshe also insists on the implementation of Action Service, training intended in particular for waiters, which equips them so that they can better educate drivers about their alcohol consumption. “We must come up with a proposal that supports precisely this question, 0.05, and that it is not just a sword in the water to clear one’s conscience by saying: ‘We added the administrative limit of 0.05, our job is done.” I’m sorry, but no, that’s not what science tells us. »