By Steve Lambert, The Canadian Press
The exterior of the Manitoba Legislature is seen in Winnipeg, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods)
The Manitoba government is looking to bring in tougher penalties for people who are convicted of impaired driving offences that cause injury or death.
A bill introduced in the legislature Thursday would impose a lifetime licence suspension on a driver convicted of two such offences within a 10-year period.
That’s an increase from the current 10-year suspension.
The bill would also prohibit people convicted of these offences from driving with any alcohol in their blood for seven years for a first offence.
“The consequences of driving impaired are tragic — for the victims for the families and the survivors,” Justice Minister Matt Wiebe said Thursday.
“Ten per cent of collisions in Manitoba have impaired driving as a contributing factor, and enough is enough.”
The bill was introduced on the last day of the fall legislature sitting and is expected to be debated after politicians reconvene March 5.
The bill was welcomed by Mothers Against Drunk Driving, known as MADD.
“We recognize that there is no one single piece of legislation that will solve impaired driving, and we welcome the government taking steps to deal with those offenders who cause the most serious harm,” said Tanya Hansen Pratt, president of MADD Canada. Pratt’s mother was killed by an impaired driver.
The bill was introduced on the last day of a three-week session that frequently saw tensions rise between the governing New Democrats and Opposition Progressive Conservatives.
Tom Lindsey, the legislature Speaker, scolded both sides of the house Thursday for over-the-top heckling and other behaviour.
On Thursday, just after proceedings recessed for lunch, New Democrat cabinet minister Tracy Schmidt crossed the floor and confronted the Tories.
The Tories accused her of aggressively accosting one member, standing over him and pointing her finger down at him while telling him he should not be in the chamber.
“The language that was used, from a minister of the Crown, I’ve never seen anything like it. It was awful,” said Grant Jackson, the Tory education critic. He did not provide details or identify which of his colleagues was confronted by Schmidt.
Schmidt, the environment minister who is also temporarily filling in as acting education minister, told reporters she went over to the Tory side because she had heard what she considered a racist comment toward the end of the morning debate.
“I walked over to the member … and said to the member that I felt that his comments were racist and I encouraged him sincerely to apologize,” Schmidt told reporters.
Schmidt did not say what the comments were or identify the Tory she confronted.
“I was immediately surrounded by several male members of their caucus who started shouting at me and telling me to get out of there, and so I got out of there.”
Mark Wasyliw, an independent legislature member who was kicked out of the NDP caucus earlier this year, posted on social media that an NDP cabinet minister “lost control” and had a “face-to-face rage-filled direct confrontation” with a Tory.
There have been other signs in recent weeks that the Tories and NDP are not getting along.
The Tories did not support an attempt by the NDP to quickly set up an all-party committee to examine public support for journalism, saying that the NDP idea has many unanswered questions.
The New Democrats have not supported a Tory call for an all-party committee on the issue of trade with the United States and tariff threats by president-elect Donald Trump.
