Posted at 1:00 p.m.
Minister Bonnardel, on this National Impaired Driving Awareness Week, it is ironically five years since we experienced a parent’s worst possible nightmare.
On March 20, 2017, our 26-year-old daughter Jessica died following a collision with a person driving while impaired by alcohol and drugs. No words can ever describe the pain, distress and despair that suddenly filled and changed our lives and those of our family.
Jessica, Jess to friends, was the eldest of three children and our only daughter. Her story, she hadn’t finished writing it. She was just getting to the most interesting chapter.
Jessica was robbed of her future, she who was a fundamentally positive and loving person.
Her smile lit up even the darkest rooms. Her contagious laughter, her tender and genuine hugs, her encouragement, her unexpected calls to check on us and tell us that she loved us: we still miss all of this enormously every day.
However, this immense loss could perhaps have been avoided if more measures and awareness were taken with regard to alcohol and drugs while driving. Returning home after celebrating and having a good time with friends and loved ones can now be done safely in several ways, without putting your life and those of others in danger. We must ensure that these are known and natural.
Ruining the lives of several families because one person makes the wrong decision must be a thing of the past.
Prevention and limit at 0.05
The Government of Quebec also has the means to give police services more tools to save lives and strengthen the safety of our fellow citizens. For example, they must be given the ability to prevent and control more and also to issue warnings and tickets to drivers from a blood alcohol level of 0.05, as is done in all the other provinces.
Our daughter had her life stolen by drunk driving. Her time on Earth was short, but through her love and generosity, she was able to touch many people. His kindness and his immense heart undoubtedly remain our greatest pride. Jessica was also a fighter and she would have liked us to participate in sending a clear message to all of Quebec that drinking and drinking while driving can cause irreparable damage and that these dangers are avoidable.
Today, it is therefore like her and for her that we are asking you to make our roads safer and that we are helping to raise awareness by telling her story.
We need things to change and the message to be understood, in memory of Jess, but also for all the other victims and their families. In Quebec, we can’t afford to lose more Jessicas.