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December 10th, 2014

Conservatives reject bill that could have saved the lives of pedestrians and cyclists

In voting against Bill C-603, the Conservative government has thrown out a simple measure that could have gone a long way to bolstering the safety of pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists in Canada, and save lives.

NDP Transport critic Hoang Mai (Brossard-La Prairie) tabled the bill, which aimed to equip heavy trucks with lateral side guards to prevent accidents and reduce the alarming death toll for these kinds of incidents.

“Adopting this simple measure – one which was recommended by the Chief Coroner for Ontario in 2012 – would have made our highways safer for pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists. We could have prevented many fatal accidents on our roads each year,” said Mai.

Similar laws were already passed in Japan and the UK several years ago, and this measure has been proven to prevent fatal accidents.

“The Conservatives’ indifference on this issue is very damaging to victims and their families. They had no reason to prevent this bill from passing, as it involves little expense and has been proven effective by many studies,” added Mai. The MP plans to pursue the project, despite this latest setback at the hands of the Conservatives.