Former politician who lost daughter to drunk driver invites McMorris to advocate

Former politician Allan Kerpan knows the impact of impaired driving firsthand.

His 25-year-old daughter Danille died after a collision on Highway 11 caused by a drunk driver on Oct. 10, 2014.

Kerpan spent more than a decade in Saskatchewan politics as a MP and MLA. He knows Don McMorris personally and called him a good man, MLA and minister.

On Aug. 5, McMorris was charged with impaired driving while on his way to Regina from Fort Qu’Appelle around 11:30 a.m. He resigned from the Saskatchewan Party the next day; stepping down from his position as deputy premier and minister responsible for Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority and SGI.

“First it was disappointment; obviously, I was a bit sad,” Kerpan said Wednesday about hearing the news.

“We have told (McMorris) our story; we hoped that we would see some changes with the issue of drunk driving. So I feel somewhat betrayed.”

Kerpan said the saving grace for McMorris is no one was hurt by his actions.

“I don’t hate the criminal, I hate the crime,” he said. “(McMorris) obviously has things going on in his life that I don’t know about, and can’t speculate on, and I hope he’ll see his way through to changing it.”

During his resignation address to media, McMorris said he will be seeking counselling.

Kerpan said he believes the incident can be turned into a positive learning lesson. He extended a public invitation on the John Gormley Show for McMorris to be part of the conversation to raise awareness about impaired driving.

“Join us – join with my wife and I, and the Van de Vorsts and the Stevensons in Saskatoon who are all trying to do something and make changes,” he said.

“Let’s fight this. He’s in a perfect position as an MLA, a former minister; the proof will be in the pudding for me when it comes to Don.”