MADD Canada's Advocacy Day Brings Victims and Survivors to Parliament Hill to Advocate for Anti-Impaired Driving Technology

MADD Canada brought victims and survivors of impaired driving crashes to Parliament Hill this week, pushing federal lawmakers to mandate anti-impaired driving technology in all new vehicles, as reported by the Montreal Gazette. The advocacy group's annual lobbying day on May 5 comes as troubling statistics show alcohol-impaired driving fatalities jumped 14% between 2021 and 2022, climbing from 457 to 521 deaths across Canada. Police laid nearly 80,000 impaired driving charges and short-term suspensions in 2021 alone, highlighting the persistent scope of the problem despite decades of awareness campaigns. Among those sharing their stories was Quebec MADD board member Antoine Bittar and his wife Elizabeth Rivera, whose 26-year-old daughter Jessica was killed in an impaired driving crash in 2017. "We carry the pain of her absence every day," they told parliamentarians. "No family should have to experience this kind of loss." The technology MADD Canada is advocating for already has a roadmap south of the border. The United States passed the HALT law in 2021, requiring automakers to install anti-alcohol impaired driving systems in all new vehicles by 2030. Experts estimate the technology could save thousands of American lives annually once fully implemented. A recent MADD Canada poll found more than 90% of Canadians view impaired driving as a serious public safety issue, yet fewer than half believe governments are doing enough about it. The organization wants Ottawa to commit to similar technology requirements and expand Mandatory Alcohol Screening powers, allowing police to demand breath samples from any driver suspected of being in a collision. For West Island residents, these statistics hit close to home. Our communities see their share of impaired driving incidents, particularly during summer months when cottage traffic increases along Highway 20 and local arterials. The technology being proposed — which can detect alcohol on a driver's breath or through touch sensors — could prevent crashes before they happen, rather than relying solely on enforcement after the fact. MADD Canada has been fighting this fight for nearly four decades, with volunteers in close to 100 communities nationwide raising awareness and supporting victims. National President Tanya Hansen Pratt, whose mother Beryl was killed by an impaired driver in 1999, emphasized the urgency: "Anti-impaired driving technology can prevent these tragedies." Because apparently, even in 2026, we still need to convince people that cars should be smarter than their drivers after a 5 à 7 gone wrong.