TORIES GET TOUGH ON DRUG-IMPAIRED DRIVING, CRITICS SEE CHARTER
ISSUE

OTTAWA - The federal Conservatives have brought in legislation to
crack down on drug-impaired drivers - by resurrecting a plan first
advanced by the Liberals, adding heavier fines and jail terms, and
calling the result a Tory initiative.

The bill, tabled Tuesday by Justice Minister Vic Toews, would also
tighten laws against driving under the influence of alcohol, changing
the rules of evidence to make it harder to challenge breathalyzer
tests in court.

The main focus, however, is on those who get behind the wheel while
high on marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine or a variety of other
drugs. "I can't seriously see people (being) opposed to this type of
legislation," said Toews, noting that similar measures are already in
force in many American states.

"There is no reason why Canadians shouldn't be protected in the same
way."

Opposition MPs insisted they need time to study the bill. And some
predicted parts of it could be struck down by the courts as a
violation of the Charter of Rights. The legislation had been trumpeted
in advance by Prime Minister Stephen Harper as another step in a
broader Conservative law-and-order agenda.