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Results: 1 - 15 of 303
View Myron Thompson Profile
CPC (AB)
Thanks for being here.
I have an age-old problem in regard to all of this thing. I'll give you a true story, and I'd like you to respond to how it's different now and how Bill C-32 would make a difference to this particular scenario.
Caroline Bergeson was sitting on a two-lane highway, signalling to turn left. She had her signal lights on; unfortunately, she also had her wheels turned to go left. She was rear-ended by another vehicle, which knocked her in front of a gravel truck, which...I don't have to tell you the outcome of that collision.
The volunteer fire department, which is in a small rural community where this happened, was on the scene, waiting for the ambulances to appear. The driver of the second vehicle that hit Caroline was slightly injured, and they, the volunteer fire department rescue truck, drove him into the closest hospital.
A couple or three days later, the parents of Caroline were informed that after testing and checking of the body, there was no impairment whatsoever, no drugs, no alcohol in Caroline, so that would give them some peace of mind that she didn't have them. That wasn't a problem in terms of what had happened. The parents asked, “What about the driver of the second vehicle?” Testing was never done.
Today, would testing be automatic? Would testing be required of the second driver?
View Myron Thompson Profile
CPC (AB)
He probably wouldn't have been tested, yet today, five or six years later—I can't recall exactly—the Berguson family is still wondering if the guy who ran into their daughter and killed her was under the influence of a drug or alcohol. They'll never know.
This individual had the right to be protected from being examined for that purpose. Why?
View Myron Thompson Profile
CPC (AB)
So in that particular scenario, evidently they're saying they had no grounds, yet the volunteer firemen who were first on the scene have repeated to me constantly that in their way of thinking there was every reason in the world why this guy could have been under the influence of some kind of a drug. The police were—
View Myron Thompson Profile
CPC (AB)
—a little later getting there than that, but they rushed this guy off to the hospital. Although his injuries were not fatal, he was injured, and they wanted to get him to the hospital.
In my office I have a number of people who have responded to me about their fear of Bill C-32 being so intrusive on the rights of individuals. Do you feel this bill is intrusive?
View Myron Thompson Profile
CPC (AB)
I agree with that scenario, but my biggest fear is the cry from that group of individuals who always seem to make a very loud noise about the rights of the second driver—for example, in my scenario—versus the rights of the deceased. I'm really concerned about that whole scenario, and I want a bill that would strongly indicate that it's essential that these tests take place whenever there's the slightest reason to believe they should be.
View Myron Thompson Profile
CPC (AB)
As a final comment, I just want your opinion, going back to the situation I was talking about.
In the case of an accident and a fatality, I heard you say that the coroner's report would be thorough in regards to reporting the possibility of drugs or any foreign substances in the deceased.
Should that not be a mandatory requirement of the other individual, if they survive? Should it not just be automatic that if there's a fatality or a major crash, all drivers would immediately be required to go for testing, without any idea from the policeman on the site determining if there is a reason, or whatever? Just do it.
View Myron Thompson Profile
CPC (AB)
Why can't Canada be part of an ideal world? Let's do it.
View Myron Thompson Profile
CPC (AB)
View Myron Thompson Profile
CPC (AB)
I realize that, but—
View Myron Thompson Profile
CPC (AB)
Well, I realize that, but you are human beings and you have thoughts, and I think your thoughts are every bit as important as anybody else's on this panel.
View Myron Thompson Profile
CPC (AB)
On a point of order, that's not philosophical; that's common sense.
View Myron Thompson Profile
CPC (AB)
Is it this committee that's going to embark on this study?
An hon. member: We'll figure it out.
View Myron Thompson Profile
CPC (AB)
Thank you.
I find the discussion very interesting. A lot of the things that were said are troubling to me.
I'll start with the Canada Safety Council. They mentioned that most of these problems we're dealing with are with people who are dependent on alcohol, probably alcoholics more than the social drinker. Yet in my riding--I keep tabs on all the courts and I have three different courts in a rural jurisdiction--over the last while I can't tell you how many young offenders, 16-, 17-, 18-year-olds, were drunk and mostly driving while intoxicated. It's a phenomenal number, and this is a small rural area. I can only imagine what it must be in other jurisdictions. But these young people aren't necessarily drug-dependent or drink-dependent. They're just starting out. They haven't got enough brains to know how to do it, maybe.
Then we talk about education. Well, I've been in the education system for 30 years, and I've seen all kinds of programs. And yes, they will have a positive effect on a good number of the students, but they won't reach everybody. There's no doubt about that. And of course in our wisdom as a wise society, we lowered the drinking age from 21 to 18, and trust me, that didn't do us any favours in the secondary schools with younger people. Where we used to have a problem with 18- and 19-year-olds consuming, it suddenly became a problem with 14- and 15-year-olds, or even worse.
We're our own worst enemy in some of the other decisions that we make, the influences. I've heard comments like, “Well, marijuana's really nothing all that big”. Yet I've seen it have a drastic effect on young people in the school where I taught, a horrendous effect.
I'm really tired of the legal system. It seems as if the legal system overpowers the justice system on undue harsh penalties. I heard that comment--undue harsh penalty. Well, what's an undue harsh penalty for the victims at the hands of these people? How bad does it have to get before that becomes undue harsh penalty? And deterrence doesn't work. Well, unfortunately, he's probably right in most cases. I can't remember who said that, but he's probably right in most cases.
I can name one particular case back in the sixties in a county, and I think it was Saguache County--I'm trying to remember--where they had the right to impose the law. What they did is if they caught you impaired or drinking while driving or whatever, they took your vehicle, period. No questions asked, you lost your vehicle. If it belonged to your dad, it was gone. If it belonged to a company, it was gone. Boy, did that deter drinking in that county. You didn't do it. It was very effective, but unduly harsh, I will admit.
So where is the balance that Mr. Dykstra was trying to seek? We go to the extremes at one end or the other and we never seem to arrive anywhere. And always, to me, it's the legal system that interferes. We talked about cameras. My God, if you used a whole bunch of cameras, how long would it be before there'd be some people out there saying “You have no right. You're invading my privacy.” We're overdoing this whole thing. It's overkill. Why don't we stick with the brass tacks?
Was it 815 dead during 2004? My God, people, 815. We are very saddened, we're broken up that we've lost 56 soldiers since 2002 in the war in Afghanistan. That breaks us up. And here we've got 815 in one year from drunk drivers? If this happens every year, how many thousands is that? I think it's time to stop all the nonsense of talking. What do we have to do to get down to hit that balance and get it fixed? What do we have to do? I'm still waiting to hear good solutions. I'm sorry, I can't buy a lot of them. I can't buy it.
View Myron Thompson Profile
CPC (AB)
View Myron Thompson Profile
CPC (AB)
It seems to me that this particular rule that Mr. Comartin has been talking about, not just today but in the past, has come up a number of times in this committee, and he felt from this committee that there should be some effort to resolve that. I'm wondering if that shouldn't be done sooner than later. If so, exactly how will we go about that?
Results: 1 - 15 of 303 | Page: 1 of 21

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