Jane Thornthwaite, the Liberal MLA for North Vancouver-Seymour, is facing charges for impaired driving but will continue to represent constituents in Victoria.

On Wednesday, the Metro Vancouver chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving requested the North Shore resident step down to show she is owning up to the charges against her.

"To do the right thing, to claim responsibility and show that she is being responsible, she should step aside and take care of the criminal charges," Bob Rorison, the president of the Metro Vancouver MADD, told ctvbc.ca.

Thornthwaite said she will not walk away from her elected duties, even temporarily.

"I'm going to be continuing with my job. It's appropriate for me to maintain my job, do what I was elected to do and to not do what the Mothers Against Drunk Driving are saying," she told ctvbc.ca.

"I have responsibilities here in North Vancouver and in Victoria."

She is scheduled to appear in court April 14.

The chair of the BC Liberal caucus said he expects to see her in Victoria next week for the post-Olympic provincial budget announcement.

"I'm sure when she comes to caucus, she'll be very contrite, but we expect her to carry on representing her constituents," said Ron Cantelon, MLA for Parksville-Qualicum.

Thornthwaite was alone in her family's minivan when she was stopped at a North Vancouver RCMP road check on Main Street near the Second Narrows Bridge at 1 a.m. Tuesday.

She took a breath test and allegedly registered a blood-alcohol level of .11 over the legal limit of .08.

She believes RCMP officers on the scene recognized her. Her vehicle was impounded, and Thornthwaite said the RCMP drove her home.

Earlier Monday evening, Thornthwaite posted a Twitter message saying she was taking the SeaBus from North Vancouver to downtown.

She would not say why she chose to drive back to the North Shore and would not say what alcohol she had consumed.

"Everyone does make mistakes from time to time. This one was a serious mistake. I should have taken transit or some alternate form of transportation," she said Wednesday.

In a statement released Tuesday, Thornthwaite did not disclose details but offered an apology and said she wants to remain open and transparent.

"I accept full responsibility for my actions and will, with my legal counsel, co-operate fully with Crown counsel," read the statement.

"My actions were inexcusable. Drinking and driving is dangerous and completely unacceptable; I know that and make no excuses for what I did."

Olympic spotlight

Rorison said Thornthwaite's alleged criminal actions reflect badly on all of Vancouver at a time when the city is packed with international dignitaries, press and athletes.

"I'm disappointed that a public official during this time -- when the whole world is looking at us with a microscope -- headed out and got caught drinking and driving. I'm angry that she's done this because it makes us all look bad," he said.

"I'm very sad that she's compromised her whole career."

Premier Gordon Campbell rebuffed calls to temporarily step down when he was charged and convicted of drunk driving in Hawaii in 2003. Rorison said MADD never called for the Premier to resign permanently, but only step aside while the criminal charges and consequences were addressed. They have made the same request of Thornthwaite.

Campbell told CTV News he can appreciate what Thornthwaite is going through.

"People make mistakes and I've made them myself. I think we have to accept the apology and she's got the oportunity to earn back their respect and [the] trust of her constituents," he said.

Thornthwaite took the SeaBus downtown from the North Shore around 5 p.m., according to a message posed on Twitter.

At about 9:30 p.m., Thornthwaithe said she had left Canada's Northern House and was at Sochi House.

A few minutes later, she posted another Twitter message: "I love the Sochi Pavilion but I don't understand anything they are saying but they are very friendly."

She didn't post anything after that.

Thornthwaite was elected in May 2009 and was a North Vancouver Board of Education school trustee for four years before that.

She was elected chairperson of the board in December 2008 but resigned less than a year later to run for provincial public office.

With more than two decades' experience as a registered dietitian, Thornthwaite has taught a nutrition class at UBC and worked as a consultant in the corporate sector.

She has three children aged 11, 18 and 19 and has lived in the North Shore for nearly two decades.