A majority of Canadians support recent amendments to Bill C-2 in spite of potential flaws in the execution process or concerns over invasions of privacy, a new Angus Reid Strategies poll reveals.

A series of modifications to Canada’s Criminal Code—also known as Bill C-2—took effect on Jul. 2. According to the new changes, drivers may now be pulled over by police if they are suspected of alcohol impairment or drug use. In accordance with the Drug Evaluation and Classification (DEC) program, the officers would then be allowed to take samples of bodily fluids (such as saliva, blood or urine) from the drivers if any evidence of impairment is found. Since its implementation, the new provisions have raised numerous questions about operating flaws and privacy concerns.

In the online survey of a representative national sample, more than three-quarters of Canadians (78%) say they strongly or moderately support the new regulations.

Half of respondents (50%) say the new provisions should be put in place even if there are still flaws in the administering process and three-in-five (63%) say privacy concerns brought on by the changes should not stop implementation.

Almost two-thirds of Canadians (64%) want policymakers to focus on education and prevention as well as law enforcement when fighting impaired driving in Canada.

Support for New Amendments

Respondents living in Alberta (85%) and those over the age of 55 (85%) are most supportive of the new changes, while those residing in Manitoba and Saskatchewan (70%) and with a high school degree or less (73%) are least likely to show strong or moderate backing.

Males and females are roughly on the same wavelength (77% men, 79% women) in this regard, as are respondents in every income group (77% of those with household earnings of less than $50K and $50K to $99K, and 80% of those earning $100K or more). In turn, support increases with age and education.

Operating Flaws

On the subject of the challenges presented by the new provisions to Bill C-2, half of respondents (50%) believe the potential flaws in the process should not hinder implementation. A smaller proportion (38%) would rather see the changes delayed until Canada develops the right tools to determine when a driver is impaired by drugs, and 12 per cent are unsure.

The highest proportion of respondents who think the provisions should continue in spite of potential flaws is in Alberta (58%) and Quebec (57%). British Columbia appeared to buck the national trend: Half of respondents (50%) think the new regulations should be put on hold.

It is also interesting to note that the proportion of Canadians who think the provisions should be put into practice in spite of difficulties increases with age while the number of those who think they should be halted until better tools are developed decreases with age. More than two-in-five (44%) respondents aged 18-34 feel would rather continue with implementation, compared to 46 per cent of those aged 35-54 and a significantly higher number of older adults (59%). In turn, 47 per cent of younger respondents would wait for better tools (compared to 37% of those aged 35-54 and 33% of those over the age of 55).

Privacy Concerns

When asked how they feel about privacy concerns surrounding the recent alterations to Bill C-2, more than three-in-five Canadians (63%) believe the implementation should proceed as planned regardless of any privacy issues, while roughly a quarter (27%) think the regulations should be reviewed precisely due to such concerns.

The regional breakdown reveals that Ontario respondents (34%) are most likely to recommend a revision of Bill C-2, while almost three-quarters of those living in Quebec (70%) would prefer to carry on as planned regardless of privacy concerns.
 
Compared to other age groups, older Canadians are the least likely to think the new bill should be reviewed (24%) and the most inclined to say it should continue on as planned despite any privacy concerns (67%).

Emphasis on Policy

Across the nation, a clear majority (64%) of those surveyed said that policy makers should place equal emphasis on education and prevention as well as law enforcement when tackling impaired driving in Canada (peaking at 76% in the Atlantic Provinces). In turn, roughly one-in-five (19%) said the emphasis should be solely on education and 14 per cent want the focus to be placed on law enforcement only.

Quebec (21%) and Manitoba and Saskatchewan (21%) are home to the most respondents who would like to see a larger focus on education and prevention, while 20 per cent of British Columbia respondents think a spotlight on law enforcement is the better solution—more than all other regional and socio-economic groups.

Males and females are on the same wavelength about law enforcement (both at 14%) but disagree considerably on other points. Men are much more inclined to think a focus on education and prevention is the better answer (23% versus 16% of females) while women (67%) are more likely than men (61%) to prefer focusing on both points equally.

Younger adults are also significantly more inclined than their respective counterparts to answer ‘education and prevention’ (23% versus 18% for both other age groups), while those with a college or technical school diploma (21%) and at least one university degree (22%) are much more prone than those with a high school diploma or less (15%) to pick education and prevention.

Article Via Muchmor Canada Magazine - “Discover Your Canada”
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