By Nigel Maxwell

Impaired driving bill out of committee stage

May 13, 2015 | 11:59 AM

Bill C-590 will soon be headed back to the House of Commons and could be passed before Members of Parliament break for the summer.

The bill, which lays out more severe penalties for offenders who have a blood alcohol content more than twice the legal limit, has now passed the committee stage.

Only one amendment was made to the bill during the committee stage.

The Justice and Human Rights Committee amended the bill to address a concern that the Bill’s very significant penalties, particularly for a first offender, could lead to cases where a driver simply refuses to provide a breath sample. This is because the penalty for the refusal of defence only has a mandatory minimum penalty of $1,000.

The amendment classifies the offence of driving with a blood alcohol concentration of more than .160 as a hybrid offence. On indictment, the penalties would remain as proposed in the bill.

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Penalties for a first-offence conviction, where no one is hurt, would result in a minimum fine of $2,000 and a minimum 60-day prison term. In the case of a second or subsequent offence, the minimum term of imprisonment would be 240 days.

In cases where someone with a blood alcohol content over the legal limit who harms or kill someone, the penalties are also much stiffer. The person convicted would be additionally penalized a minimum fine of $5,000 and a minimum 120-day prison term (first offence), and a minimum 12-month prison term (second or subsequent offence).

The bill is expected to come up for third reading in late June.

nmaxwell@panow.com

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell

by Nigel Maxwell

Impaired driving bill out of committee stage

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