Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I’ve been speaking about distracted driving for some time now and I’m not about to stop. Consider me the never-stopping Energizer bunny, if you will.
Mr. Speaker, the data continues to show that people using hand-held devices, texting, checking messages, talking, playing games, et cetera, while driving, are detrimental to the driver’s health and, more importantly, to bystanders and other drivers, people who have no control over the actions of the offending driver.
Two recent news items, for instance: a skateboarder in Lethbridge caused a collision between himself and a car because he was looking at his cell phone as he crossed the street outside a crosswalk, no less. And the United Nations General Secretary Ban Ki-Moon yesterday called for a culture in which driving while distracted is unacceptable, unacceptable in the eyes of the law and the public. The Secretary General also said I want every driver in the world to get the message: texting while driving kills. Ban then announced that the UN is prohibiting its employees from texting while driving in UN vehicles.
I’ve mentioned before that there are more and more companies and organizations which prohibit employees from driving while using a cell phone. Finning Canada is one, NTCL Company Ltd. is another, and who knew GNWT is a third. We have a policy number 6003.08.10, titled Mobile Hand-Held Devices, and it has a section 5.2 titled Compliance. The introduction reads: Users must comply with other GNWT legislation, policies, procedures, standards and guidelines related to mobile hand-held device use. It further states specific considerations include and in 5.2(d) it says, do not use a GNWT mobile hand-held device while driving unless a hands-free kit is used. That means while driving any vehicle, either a GNWT vehicle or one’s own vehicle, one shouldn’t be using a GNWT cell phone.
Mr. Speaker, I’ll go out on a sturdy tree limb and say that everyone in this room uses a government-owned cell phone or Smart phone, and I think my sturdy limb will support the conjecture that 99 percent of GNWT employees using cell phones are using GNWT-owned cell phones. How many of them and how many of us know of the policy? How many of them and how many of us are in compliance with that policy? I suspect not very many. The policy is laudable, but without wide publicity as well as enforcement, it’s not much good, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
I really need support on this issue, obviously. Without wide publicity as well as enforcement, the policy isn’t much good.
Mr. Speaker, some months ago the Minister of Transportation advised the House that the department was reviewing and analyzing the issue of distracted driving and possible changes to the Motor Vehicle Act. I am hopeful that that report will recommend changes that bring us closer to roads which are safe from drivers using hand-held devices. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Abernethy.
