Heartbroken mothers band together for tougher drunk driving penalties

CALGARY- A group of mothers who have lost children to suspect drunk drivers are banding together to fight for tougher penalties.

The women had a closed door meeting with Alberta Justice Minister Jonathon Denis on Wednesday, in hopes of getting the laws changed. While legislation is a federal responsibility, provinces do have some influence.

“Obviously I wish my son would come home and go on with life the way it used to be, but this is my life. This is what I do. I fight for other people and change things,” says Kim Thomas, whose son Brandon died in a crash. “Hopefully nobody else goes through what we do.”

Following their meeting, the group Families for Justice said they felt Denis heard their concerns to help advocate for minimum mandatory sentences. They want to see the charge changed from impaired driving causing death to vehicular manslaughter, and a minimum sentence of five years.

So far, they have collected 65-thousand signatures on a petition they plan to give to Prime Minister Stephen Harper.