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Bill C-82

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SUMMARY

This enactment amends the Criminal Code to strengthen measures against impaired driving. The amendments implement recommendations of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights.

EXPLANATORY NOTES

Criminal Code

Clause 1: Subsections 252(1.1) to (1.3) are new. Subsection 252(1) reads as follows:

252. (1) Every person who has the care, charge or control of a vehicle, vessel or aircraft that is involved in an accident with

    (a) another person,

    (b) a vehicle, vessel or aircraft, or

    (c) in the case of a vehicle, cattle in the charge of another person,

and with intent to escape civil or criminal liability fails to stop the vehicle, vessel or, where possible, the aircraft, give his or her name and address and, where any person has been injured or appears to require assistance, offer assistance, is guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years or is guilty of an offence punishable on summary conviction.

Clause 2: The relevant portion of subsection 254(3) reads as follows:

(3) Where a peace officer believes on reasonable and probable grounds that a person is committing, or at any time within the preceding two hours has committed, as a result of the consumption of alcohol, an offence under section 253, the peace officer may, by demand made to that person forthwith or as soon as practicable, require that person to provide then or as soon thereafter as is practicable

Clause 3: (1) The relevant portion of subsection 255(1) reads as follows:

255. (1) Every one who commits an offence under section 253 or 254 is guilty of an indictable offence or an offence punishable on summary conviction and is liable,

    (a) whether the offence is prosecuted by indictment or punishable on summary conviction, to the following minimum punishment, namely,

      (i) for a first offence, to a fine of not less than three hundred dollars,

(2) Subsection 255(3) reads as follows:

(3) Every one who commits an offence under paragraph 253(a) and thereby causes the death of any other person is guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding fourteen years.

Clause 4: New.

Clause 5: (1) Subsection 259(1.1) is new. Subsection 259(1) reads as follows:

259. (1) Where an offender is convicted of an offence committed under section 253 or 254 or discharged under section 730 of an offence committed under section 253 and, at the time the offence was committed or, in the case of an offence committed under section 254, within the two hours preceding that time, was operating or had the care or control of a motor vehicle, vessel or aircraft or of railway equipment or was assisting in the operation of an aircraft or of railway equipment, the court that sentences the offender shall, in addition to any other punishment that may be imposed for that offence, make an order prohibiting the offender from operating a motor vehicle on any street, road, highway or other public place, or from operating a vessel or an aircraft or railway equipment, as the case may be,

    (a) for a first offence, during a period of not more than three years plus any period to which the offender is sentenced to imprisonment, and not less than three months;

    (b) for a second offence, during a period of not more than three years plus any period to which the offender is sentenced to imprisonment, and not less than six months; and

    (c) for each subsequent offence, during a period of not more than three years plus any period to which the offender is sentenced to imprisonment, and not less than one year.

(2) The relevant portion of subsection 259(4) reads as follows:

(4) Every one who operates a motor vehicle, vessel or aircraft or any railway equipment in Canada while disqualified from doing so

    (a) is guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years; or

Clause 6: New. The relevant portion of subsection 732.1(3) reads as follows:

(3) The court may prescribe, as additional conditions of a probation order, that the offender do one or more of the following: