Oakville, Ontario - Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Canada has released a progress report on the performance of Canada’s provinces and territories in making roads safer from impaired driving. The report suggests that there have been few gains in developing effective legislation in the last 12 months.

“Frankly, MADD Canada is disappointed with the lack of progress by provinces and territories in this past year,” said MADD Canada CEO Andrew Murie. “Only Quebec and New Brunswick have introduced important legislative changes. While Nova Scotia has made some progress, Ontario and P.E.I. still need to implement key provisions of the legislation they enacted last year. Manitoba continues to work on their 2007 reforms. As for the rest, there is plenty that needs to be addressed from MADD Canada’s last comprehensive legislative review in 2006.”

Murie said that B.C., Newfoundland and Labrador, Saskatchewan, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and the Yukon “need to take a serious look at what is occurring across Canada and introduce progressive legislation that will save lives and reduce impaired driving on their roads.”

The report rates New Brunswick and Quebec as “setting a good example”, and Nova Scotia as “promising”. Those that “need improvement” are B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, P.E.I., Newfoundland and Labrador, Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut.

“The true value of our Rating the Provinces project is the blueprint that it provides for governments to adopt better impaired driving laws,” said Professor Robert Solomon, director of legal policy for MADD Canada and lead author of the report. “There are good examples of impaired driving laws and practices in our country, and the provinces and territories need only look at each other’s legislation to find effective measures to reduce the incidence of impaired driving tragedies.”

The report can be found at MADD Canada.