Liberal MP Monsef Derraji on Wednesday invited Prime Minister François Legault to show empathy and lower the blood alcohol level threshold for driving to 50 mg, as demanded last week by a couple whose daughter died after being run over by a drunk driver.
Parliamentarians will be called to debate on Wednesday a motion tabled by Mr. Derraji proposing administrative sanctions to motorists whose alcohol level is between 50 mg and 80 mg per 100 ml of blood. Sanctions under the Criminal Code would continue to apply only from 80 mg.
In a press briefing, the Liberal MP noted that Mr. Legault and his government have given no sign that they could accept a tightening on drunk driving.
“Probably he lacks courage and empathy,” Mr. Derraji said.
According to the MP, Mr. Legault should be sensitive to calls from families of victims of impaired drivers.
“When you lose a loved one, a child, and in the case we saw last week, a 26-year-old girl, it’s very, very painful,” he said.
Mr. Derraji invited Mr. Legault to follow the example of other Canadian provinces which have lowered the penalty threshold for drunk driving.
“I invite him to reason, I invite him to follow scientific studies, I invite him to see the substantial gains for the society where he is responsible,” he said.
Last week, the issue surfaced in the news following a new controversy surrounding the political fundraising activities of the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ).
Elizabeth Rivera and her husband, Antoine Bittar, whose daughter Jessica died in 2017 in an accident involving alcohol, have called for a tightening of the criteria leading to sanctions.
On this occasion, the Minister of Transport Geneviève Guilbault indicated that she did not intend to move towards tightening measures on drunk driving as part of the study of a bill on road safety.
Wednesday, Mme Guilbault did not want to say whether the government will decide whether or not to support Mr. Derraji’s motion.
Quebec in solidarity in agreement
Quebec Solidaire MP Guillaume Cliche-Rivard affirmed that his party will support the PLQ motion.
“We are going to put it forward,” he said in a press briefing. This is what science tells us. We will continue to move in this direction, but the government will defend itself. »
PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, for his part, reserved his position for later.
“There is nothing on this in our program, which obliges us to devote almost the entirety of our caucus today to a deliberation of this question,” he said. said.
A debate is planned in the House on Wednesday afternoon and the parliamentary wings will decide in a vote on the motion on Thursday.
Further details will follow.