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

OAKVILLE, Ontario, May 01, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — As part of MADD Canada’s Advocacy Day, victims and survivors of impaired driving from across the country will gather on Parliament Hill on May 5 to meet with Parliamentarians and Senators, calling on lawmakers to commit to adopting safety measures that would require anti-impaired driving technology in all new vehicles.

Despite progress over the past several decades, every year, hundreds of people are killed and thousands more are injured in crashes involving alcohol, cannabis, and/or other drugs. In 2021 alone, police laid almost 80,000 charges and short-term suspensions for impaired driving. Recent data also shows a troubling trend, with alcohol-impaired driving fatalities increasing by 14% between 2021 and 2022, rising from 457 to 521 deaths, according to the Traffic Injury Research Foundation.

A recent MADD Canada poll conducted by Ipsos found that more than 90% of Canadians view impaired driving as a serious public safety issue, yet fewer than half believe governments are doing enough to address it. For nearly four decades, thousands of MADD Canada volunteers have raised awareness about impaired driving in their communities. While education and enforcement have helped reduce the number of crashes, further progress will require additional preventative measures. 

MADD Canada’s Advocacy Day is an opportunity for victims and survivors to share firsthand the real and lasting consequences of impaired driving with Parliamentarians and Senators, and to call for steps to be taken to ensure that these tragedies never occur.

“Victims and survivors would give anything for more time with their loved ones, or to prevent the injuries that have altered their lives forever, said MADD Canada National President Tanya Hansen Pratt whose mother, Beryl, was killed in an impaired driving crash in 1999. “Anti-impaired driving technology can prevent these tragedies. We are calling on the federal government to commit to requiring this technology in all new cars when it is deemed ready.”

“Every day, we think about our daughter Jessica and the life she should still be living,” said MADD Canada Board Member for Quebec, Antoine Bittar, and his wife Elizabeth Rivera, whose 26-year-old daughter Jessica Rivera, was killed in an impaired driving crash in 2017. “We carry the pain of her absence every day. No family should have to experience this kind of loss. If technology can prevent even one crash, one injury, or one death, then the government has a responsibility to make sure it is in every vehicle.”

MADD Canada’s national survey also shows a large majority of Canadians support legislation similar to the Honoring Abbas Family Legacy to Terminate Drunk Driving law (HALT law) in the United States, passed in 2021, which requires automakers to equip all new vehicles with anti-alcohol impaired driving technology by 2030. Experts estimate that once fully implemented, the technology could save thousands of lives in the United States every year. Canadians also want to see a public commitment from the federal government in support of technology when its ready and to ensure Transport Canada has the funding to do its work.

MADD Canada will also be advocating for proactive enforcement measures, including the expansion of Mandatory Alcohol Screening (MAS) which, when used to its potential, can deter people from driving impaired and make our roads safer. MADD Canada is calling on the federal government to expand MAS by empowering police to demand a breath sample from any driver suspected of being involved in a collision, extend its use to include personal boats and vessels, and ensure that the RCMP use MAS at every lawful traffic stop across the country.

MADD Canada is grateful to the victims and survivors who courageously share their stories, and to the Senators and Parliamentarians who are taking the time to meet, listen, and engage in meaningful discussions about how to save lives and prevent injuries caused by impaired driving.

MADD Canada looks forward to these conversations and will continue working to ensure Impaired Driving Ends Here.

About MADD Canada
MADD Canada (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) is a national, charitable organization that is committed to stopping impaired driving and supporting the victims of this violent crime. With volunteer-driven groups in close to 100 communities across Canada, MADD Canada aims to offer support services to victims, heighten awareness of the dangers of impaired driving and save lives and prevent injuries on our roads. For more information, visit www.madd.ca.

For more information, contact:        
Tanya Hansen Pratt, MADD Canada National President, 705-623-3148 or thansenpratt@madd.ca          
Arielle Nkongmeneck, MADD Canada Communications Manager, 1-800-665-6233 ext. 240 or ankongmeneck@madd.ca

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