Former MP Rahim Jaffer guilty of careless driving

TORONTO — After pleading guilty to careless driving and being told by an Ontario judge he should "recognize a break when you see one," former Conservative MP Rahim Jaffer was fined $500 Tuesday.

Jaffer, 38, was initially charged with cocaine possession, impaired driving and speeding, stemming from an incident last September in the village of Palgrave, Ont., about 60 kilometres northwest of Toronto.

The Crown in Orangeville, Ont., dropped those charges on Tuesday, citing that there was no reasonable prospect of obtaining a conviction.

Ontario Attorney General Chris Bentley said the decision to withdraw the charges was a result of talks between the Crown and the defence.

"Everybody has to be treated equally before the law and when the Crown makes an assessment of the case and determines that a particular resolution is appropriate, that resolution should be the one that's obtained — whether the accused happens to be somebody who is known to the public or not known to the public," he said at Queen's Park. "We have one rule for all and you have to adhere to the law, and the law has to be administered equally."

Outside the courtroom, Jaffer spoke to reporters, apologizing for his "careless" behaviour and said he was relieved to be moving on. The ex-Conservative Alberta MP denied he was ever in any possession of drugs or drove under the influence.

"I'm sorry. I know this was a serious matter," he said. "I know I should have been more careful and I took full responsibility for my careless driving."

Jaffer — who is married to Conservative MP and Minister of State for the Status of Women Helena Guergis — was driving his wife's grey Ford Escape when he was pulled over for speeding on Sept. 11, 2009.

According to the Ontario Provincial Police, Jaffer clocked in at 93 km/h in a 50 km/h zone. He told officers he was on his way home to Angus, Ont., which is located in his wife's riding of Simcoe-Grey.

At the time, officers noted "an odour of alcohol on the driver's breath," OPP spokesman Const. Peter Leon told the media. Jaffer was given a breathalyzer test, arrested and taken to the Caledon OPP station.

There, Jaffer provided two more breath samples and was detained for four hours.

According to the police, the tests registered more than 80 milligrams of alcohol (0.08) in Jaffer's blood. The OPP also allegedly found cocaine during a search of the car, but the alleged amount was never released.

Jaffer's licence was suspended for 90 days as a result of the criminal charges.

Veterans Affairs Minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn dismissed suggestions that the sentence demonstrates the government is soft on crime. "It's the judges who make the decisions, not parliamentarians," he said.

University of Alberta law professor Steven Penney said that two things could've occurred to prompt the Crown to drop the criminal charges and allow Jaffer to plead a lesser provincial offence.

He said Jaffer's rights could've been violated if police had wrongfully stopped him, asked him to take a breathalyzer, detained him or denied his right to counsel, thus making the evidence obtained not admissible in court.

Or, said Penney, the Crown may have decided that the evidence was not strong enough to proceed to trial. "We may never know what the reasons are," he said from Edmonton.

Margaret Miller, president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, said impaired driving cases are often resolved with a plea bargain if the Crown doesn't have sufficient evidence.

Nevertheless, she said the media coverage surrounding Jaffer's case is an indicator of the public's awareness toward drunk driving.

"There was a time years ago that we wouldn't have even heard about this case," said Miller from Nova Scotia. "The public is doing their role by calling 911 when they see an impaired driver and just making the personal choice of not drinking and driving. It all helps. We're going to see less injuries on the highway."

Jaffer was first elected in the Edmonton-Strathcona riding as member of the Reform Party in 1997, at the age of 25.

He served four terms as the first Muslim MP and one of the youngest in the House of Commons until he lost his seat in the last federal election — the only Conservative to do so in Alberta.

During his political career, Jaffer was well known for his tough stance on drugs and was the MP behind a number of Conservative radio public service announcements calling for strict penalties on drug dealers.

"I haven't seen all the evidence, so it's hard for me to comment, but I know he (Jaffer) did his last election campaign on drug-free schools. He should have done it on drug-free cars," quipped Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe.

"It gives you an idea of those people who preach about being holier than thou, and when we scratch beneath the surface, we find something else."

This isn't the first time controversy has surrounded Jaffer. In 2001, he apologized after it was discovered that one of his aides impersonated him during a radio show.

Since losing his seat, Jaffer has been working with Green Power Generation Corp., based in Ottawa.

With files from Mike De Souza and Global News