A man who might have become Canada's first drunk driver to be labeled a dangerous offender was instead sentenced to life in prison.

A Quebec court judge called the man incorrigible and ruled he would be likely to reoffend.

But he said Canada's dangerous offender designation - a powerful legal weapon reserved for the worst criminals like murderers and serial rapists - did not apply in this case.

Fifty-seven-year-old Roger Walsh was handed the ruling today in a courtroom west of Montreal.

Walsh pleaded guilty to mowing down a wheelchair-bound woman after a night of binge drinking last year.

It was his 19th drunk driving conviction.

Prosecutors have now tried on three occasions - including in Ontario and Alberta - but no Canadian judge has ever granted a dangerous offender tag for an impaired driving conviction.

The Crown had been hopeful that they could make history in this case, thanks to recent changes in federal law that might have made it easier to get the label applied.