OTTAWA - Ron Cannan, MP for Kelowna-Lake Country will rise today in the House of Commons to debate the first hour of his Private Members Bill C-376, An Act to Amend the Criminal Code (impaired driving). Mr. Cannan’s bill will create a new .05% blood alcohol concentration (BAC) offence in addition to the current.08% limit which already exists in the Criminal Code.

Cannan said educating Parliamentarians and the public will be key to getting the Bill passed in the House of Commons.

“The public agrees with a .05% limit once they understand the amount of alcohol that can be consumed under the current .08%,” said Cannan. “Currently an average 200 pound man can drink 6 beers on an empty stomach and get behind the wheel of a car and can be within the legal limit.”

Cannan said the current law should reflect the large body of scientific evidence which shows that a .05% limit will significantly reduce alcohol related crashes and death.

“When Parliamentarians set the .08% BAC in 1970, they did so based on findings that we now know considerably underestimated the risks of fatal crashes associated with impaired driving. Today, virtually all the leading medical, accident prevention, and traffic safety organizations around the world support a BAC driving limit at or below.05% including the World, American, British and Canadian Medical Associations as well as the World Health Organization.”

“Its time we brought the law in line with the evidence,” said Cannan. “Impaired driving remains the #1 cause of criminal death in Canada more than all other causes of homicide combined. As lawmakers we need to take responsibility for ensuring that we do what we can to reduce the risk of injury and death due to impaired driving. Quite simply a .05% provision will save lives,” concluded Cannan.”
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