Grieving parents told to buy cocktail tickets to talk drunk-driving rules with Quebec transport minister

A grieving couple from Montreal's West Island has long been pushing for stricter drunk driving regulations in Quebec in memory of their daughter.

So, when given an opportunity to speak one-on-one with the transport minister back in October, they took it.

"We were desperate," said Elizabeth Rivera, speaking alongside her spouse, Antoine Bittar, in a video call from Quebec City.

But there was one caveat. They were told by a government official that, in order to get face time with Geneviève Guilbault, they'd have to pay $100 each for admission to a Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) fundraising cocktail.

Once there, they were told they'd get about two minutes each with the minister, recounted Rivera.

"I didn't agree," she said. "I told Antoine, 'I don't want to do this.' But we do everything together, and he convinced me."

So they joined the cocktail, had their two minutes each and left feeling discouraged and unsupported. Guilbault remained stoic, unsympathetic and really had nothing to say in support of the cause, Rivera said.

"Honestly, when I left the place, I was really disappointed," she said. "And I found it unacceptable that we were asked to pay $200 to meet the minister."

Her 26-year-old daughter was a passenger in a car with a drunk driver when she died in 2017. A couple of years later, Rivera joined the local chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). Nowadays, she is the president and, along with her husband, is leading the charge to lower the allowable blood-alcohol content for drivers.

They also want to see more frequent police roadblocks to check if drivers are sober, Bittar added.

On Thursday afternoon, the two made a statement during a National Assembly committee hearing as part of the special consultations surrounding Bill 48 — a new road safety bill, introduced in the fall.

In the course of speaking, their experience on Oct. 12 came up. They said the CAQ's Marilyne Picard, who represents the Soulanges riding, advised them to attend the pricey cocktail.

"It was at a restaurant. There was a fundraising event. We were told: 'You buy the tickets and you meet the minister; you get two minutes each,'" said Rivera.

Guilbault, who remained impassive during the couple's testimony Thursday, defended herself after the session. She said it was not true that people have to pay to meet her.