The federal government has backed down on lowering the criminal blood alcohol limit, at least for now.
Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould’s office says the government is instead counting on stricter roadside testing.
There is a bill before Parliament that would revise impaired driving laws, addressing both alcohol and drugs as the government legalizes recreational marijuana use.
Susan MacAskill is MADD Canada’s regional manager for Atlantic Canada and says they’re disappointed but not surprised.
She says Mothers Against Drunk Driving has been asking for the change to the Criminal Code for the last 20 years.
“There’s been different reasons given along the way but there doesn’t seem to be the support from the public and decision-makers to see the life-saving value of lowering the BAC from .08 to .05.”
MacAskill says MADD Canada will continue to lobby the federal government to lower the criminal blood alcohol limit.
She says there has been a decline in impaired driving deaths in other industrialized countries which have lowered the BAC.
