Quebec-Uber deal is an 'abuse of power', says taxi drivers' lawyer
Taxi industry in court seeks injunction against the popular ride-hailing service
A Quebec Superior Court judge will decide next week whether to grant the taxi industry an injunction against the government's deal with ride-hailing service Uber.
A lawyer for the taxi industry argued Friday to Justice Michel Déziel that the deal amounts to an "abuse of power" and should be suspended.
The deal, which contains new rules and guidelines for the company and its drivers to abide by, allows Uber to continue operating in Quebec for another 12 months.
Taxi industry lawyer, Marc-Antoine Cloutier, said that when Transport Minister Laurent Lessard made the Uber deal, he created a new law that runs parallel to the existing one regulating the industry.
"Would you buy a taxi permit today if you knew there was a mobile app that allows you to do the exact same thing without following the rules?" Cloutier said to reporters Friday afternoon after the hearing ended.
Cloutier said the deal could have been conditional on Uber getting the required permits. Instead, it instituted a per-ride fee Uber must pay to the government that ranges from $0.90 to $1.26.
The taxi industry wants the court to suspend the deal, arguing Lessard has gone beyond the powers given to him by the National Assembly.
The provincial government is arguing that under the banner of a pilot project, the minister has the power to put through arrangements like the Uber deal.
The judge is expected to hand down his decision Tuesday, Sept. 20 at 2 p.m.
with files from CBC's Elysha Enos