Ottawa eyes tougher blood-alcohol limits
Proposal to lower the legal limit for drivers draws protest from restaurant lobby in Quebec
OTTAWA— Federal Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould is defending a proposed lowering of the legal alcohol limit for drivers in the face of objections by Quebec’s restaurant lobby.
François Meunier, a spokesperson for the lobby, said Tuesday that if Ottawa passes such a law, it would be a disaster for the restaurant industry. “The (change would) mean a woman can have one drink and a man, in most cases, two,” Meunier said. “Forget about a bottle of wine for two, for a Valentine’s Day dinner — that’s over.”
In a letter to provincial and territorial justice ministers dated last May, Wilson-Raybould suggested lowering the limit to 50 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood from the current 80 milligrams. The federal minister said the change would “make it easier to fight the danger posed by drivers who have consumed alcohol.”
“(A 50 mg limit) would better respond to the danger posed by impaired drivers.” JODY WILSONRAYBOULD JUSTICE MINISTER
Meunier, who works for an association that represents restaurateurs in Quebec, said his members are less worried about losing alcohol sales and more concerned with seeing a significant drop in total revenues, as people choose to stay home.
“It’s about food sales that go with the alcohol,” he said.
“When it comes to celebrations, parties, all that will be done at home as people change their behaviour. It’s easy to talk about taking a taxi or public transportation, but in the (outlying) regions it’s not as easy.”
Wilson-Raybould responded to the reaction to her letter through a spokesperson on Tuesday.
“I believe that lowering the federal limit to 50 milligrams would better respond to the danger posed by impaired drivers, by sending a strong message through the criminal law and changing drivers’ behaviour,” Wilson-Raybould said.
“I have therefore sought the input of my provincial counterparts, in order to solicit their views. At this stage, no decision has been made.”
Wilson-Raybould says the current rules were established after research indicated the risk of being involved in a car crash was twice as likely when a driver has 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood in his or her system.
“More recent research indicates that this data underestimated the fatal crash risk,” she said Tuesday. “In fact, the risk is almost double at 50 milligrams, almost triple at 80 milligrams, and rises exponentially above that level.”
Quebec is the only jurisdiction in Canada that has no sanctions in place for drivers who register a blood/alcohol level of more than 50 milligrams. The province tried twice to impose penalties for such drivers, but failed.
Last spring, at the same time the federal government tabled legislation to legalize marijuana, it also introduced a bill increasing penalties for drivers caught under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Bill C-46 allows police to demand drivers submit to a breathalyzer even if they aren’t suspected to be under the influence.
Peter Sergakis, the head of an association representing bar owners, said the government should focus on repeat drunk drivers, not responsible adults. “Police are only applying the current laws during the holiday season,” he said.
CAA-Québec called Ottawa’s proposal “commendable,” but said it would be bad timing to introduce such a measure while provinces are preparing for the marijuana legalization bill to become law in 2018.
“With the reduction of the alcohol limit to 50 milligrams, we think it’ll be too difficult for governments to handle and it’s a pill too big for drivers to swallow,” said CAA-Québec spokesperson Marco Harrison.
Theresa-Anne Kramer, a spokesperson for the Montreal branch of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, said her organization has been lobbying since 2001 to lower the legal alcohol limit.