Taxi industry reforms will not hurt immigrant drivers, Legault says
Quebec Premier François Legault said on Thursday he does not believe his government’s deregulation of the province’s taxi industry will hurt immigrants who are working in it.
Legault was responding to criticism from Québec solidaire’s Andrés Fontecilla, who accused the government of making life more difficult for immigrant families when it should be helping them to integrate.
“Taxis in Quebec are driven principally by immigrants,” Fontecilla told reporters. “The premier keeps saying … that we should be taking fewer but better care of immigrants. Plunging families into uncertainty, is that how you take care of people?”
Under Bill 17, tabled Wednesday in the National Assembly, all drivers working in the traditional taxi industry or its ride-sharing equivalents would be required to meet the same professional norms.
The province will also provide $500 million in compensation to taxi drivers for the loss of value on their permits, a move that has not been greeted well by the industry, which claims the government is under the sway of Uber lobbyists.
However, Legault argues the government is doing its best to help taxi drivers, who will not only benefit from compensation but also be able to charge variable fares based on demand.
“There has to be modernization, and $500 million is still pretty big compensation for those who bought permits,” he said. “The value of permits has fluctuated, there are people who, at the beginning, got them for free. There are people who paid $10,000, $20,000. I understand that at one point they reached $200,000, but that’s the law of supply and demand.
“When we’re in business, we take risks.”
Nor does Legault think the future is completely bleak for taxi drivers.
“Someone who wants to work during rush hour, when there’s a lot of demand, at the end of a hockey game for example, will be making a lot more money than they are now.”
Legault said that in the end, the big winners would be customers.
“You will have access to better fares,” he said.
Fontecilla says the government’s $500-million offer will not cover the losses suffered by 8,000 drivers who saw the value of their permits drop over the years. Taxi industry representatives estimate the total value of permits has dropped by more than $1 billion.
Should Bill 17 be adopted, all drivers will have to have:
A Class 5 licence rather than the
4C required for drivers now.
A minimum amount of training, although that minimum has yet to be established. Passed an exam. Submitted to a police background check.
Also, the province will end: Operating areas reserved for certain taxis. The “T” licence plate used on taxis. Annual inspections. Meanwhile, dome lights and fare meters will remain on taxis. Presse Canadienne