’I look forward to the opportunity to present my side of the story’

Peter Goldring, the MP for Edmonton East, explains what happened the night he was charged by police with failing to provide a breath sample and says he’ll explain why later.

"Although I was not impaired by alcohol, the police officer demanded I provide a roadside breath sample at the time because I admitted to having recently consumed a very small amount of alcohol," Goldring told media at Edmonton’s courthouse.  "One beer. The police had the opportunity to charge me with impaired. They did not. There’s no suggestion of impairment here."

He said he would provide the reason for his refusal to take a breathalyzer only when his case comes to court.

Mr. Goldring withdrew from the Conservative caucus in December and declared himself a Civil Libertarian MP in January, but he is now simply an independent MP (possibly to avoid confusion with the actual Libertarian Party). He has previously expressed civil liberties concerns with random sampling of drivers.