Don McMorris says impaired driving conviction a 'teachable moment' for Sask.

Don McMorris says the three-and-a-half months since he was charged with impaired driving have been difficult.

When the former Saskatchewan cabinet minister pleaded guilty in September to driving with a blood-alcohol level over .08, his driver’s licence was suspended for one year and he was fined more than $1,800.

“There’s the not being able to drive; there’s the financial penalty, which is difficult. All of those are difficult, but I would say that they pale in comparison to the emotional impact that it has,” McMorris said in a recent interview with CTV News.

“I’ve heard one person say – it was a very prominent person that was charged with impaired driving in Saskatchewan a number of years ago – and he got up the next morning and he said ‘I feel lower than a snake’s belly in a wagon wheel rut’ because your self-esteem is gone, and your spouse can’t help but feel that at times.”

After he was charged with impaired driving following a traffic stop in a construction zone near White City on Aug. 5, McMorris says he spent the next few months reflecting.

“When you go through a situation like this, you can’t help but reflect. You know, I think I need to change a few things in my life,” he said.

“I’ve been able to seek counselling. I said that the first day that I would seek counselling, I have been able to do that. That has been kind of reassuring of my lifestyle and where I’m at; not to say that things don’t need to change.”

McMorris added that, physically, he feels as good as he has for a long time.

“It’s more of the emotional battle of meeting people for the first time,” he said. “Of course, you’re always thinking what are they thinking?”

McMorris says it’s fortunate no one was hurt when he drove while over the legal limit. He noted Saskatchewan has had its share of tragedies involving impaired drivers.

“Those are tragic, tragic stories of the family that, of course, the tragedy happened to, but in some circumstances, for sure, the person that perpetrated,” he said. “It’s two families that are hugely impacted.”

McMorris believes something positive can come from his impaired driving charge and subsequent conviction.

“As the former minister of SGI, we do a lot of advertising (around impaired driving) to try and get people’s attention. After a while, sometimes it becomes white noise,” he said.

“My situation was covered provincially. It became surround sound – everybody recognized it and everybody certainly of knew it, and I think the positive from that is it became a teachable moment for the province. And I hope it’s had some benefit.”

According to Saskatchewan Government Insurance, more than 330 suspected impaired drivers were stopped in October. Police laid 314 charges for impaired driving, having a blood-alcohol level over .08 or refusing a breath test.

While Saskatchewan has moved to toughen impaired driving laws, McMorris says there’s still more work to be done. He suggested that if accurate breathalyzers were available to consumers, they could be another tool to help drivers make a better decision.

“We tell people don’t speed because it kills, but we give you a speedometer,” McMorris said. “We tell people don’t drink and drive, don’t be over .04, but we have nothing to tell a person.”

McMorris resigned from the Saskatchewan Party cabinet and caucus the day after he was charged, but he still sits as an independent MLA for Indian Head-Milestone. When asked if he would like to return to cabinet, McMorris replied “of course.”

“It would not be truthful if I said I didn’t want to. That’s up to caucus to invite me back,” he said. “I’d certainly love to go back. It’s up to the premier to say whether he would invite me back into cabinet. I’ll leave it up to them.”

In the meantime, McMorris says he will continue to work on behalf of his constituents.

“I think I have a lot to offer, I think it comes from maybe a little bit more of an educated perspective now, with what I’ve gone through over the last-three-and-a-half months and will for the rest of my life,” he said.

“This just doesn’t get erased, this is part of who I am, as is a part of who I am as the minister of health and the minister of highways. That was one thing that many people said to me, they said ‘don’t let this define you. You’re more than just this one incident’ and that’s been very helpful.”