A special prosecutor has approved a charge of drunk driving against a BC Liberal government backbencher.
Jane Ann Thornthwaite faces one count of operating a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol level over .08.
"It's not a surprise," she told reporters Wednesday.
Thornthwaite said she doesn't know how she'll be pleading "because I haven't talked to my lawyer yet."
Asked if she's embarrassed about being charged a day after the B.C. government passed the toughest drunk-driving laws in Canada, Thornthwaite replied: "No."
However, she said the new law is a good idea.
Thornthwaite was pulled over at an RCMP roadside check in February. She announced shortly afterwards that she'd made a mistake and would have to earn back the trust of her constituents.
Premier Gordon Campbell has said he wouldn't ask Thornthwaite to resign.
Campbell, who himself was convicted of drunk driving while on vacation in Hawaii in 2003, said after Thornthwaite's arrest that people make mistakes and should have the chance to make amends.
Thornthwaite's first court appearance is scheduled for May 12 in North Vancouver.
Under the law, police will get new powers to instantly punish drunk drivers by immediately issuing 90-day driving bans, impounding vehicles and levying fines that could cost drivers $3,750 before the matter ever gets to court.
