DRUMMONDVILLE — A resolution from the Liberal youth commission calling on the government to work with key players in the sharing economy and take into account new business models, such as the ride-hailing service Uber, passed without a hitch Saturday at the party’s general council meeting.
But while youth wing president Jonathan Marleau argued the resolution means the government won’t have a choice but to revisit its taxi legislation, Transport Minister Jacques Daoust said the two are, in fact, compatible.
“There’s one young man who said: ‘I’m in favour of the resolution and I’m in favour of the bill (…) what the resolution says is ‘can you please take into account this new reality’ (…) I agree, but it doesn’t fix the problem we’re having with the taxi industry,” Daoust said.
On Thursday, Daoust tabled Bill 100, which would effectively force Uber drivers to buy or rent taxi permits or risk losing their driver’s licence and paying a fine of up to $25,000.
The company has yet to react to the bill, but told media a few weeks ago it would leave Quebec if such legislation were to be adopted.
Marleau said young Liberals don’t want Uber to go, and Quebec should do more to embrace innovation.
“(The resolution) sends the message that militants want the bill to be changed,” he insisted, adding the vote is a victory for the youth commission.
The issue of regulating new platforms dominated debates at the general council, with Liberal rank-and-file members expressing diverging thoughts on the resolution, which read: “It is resolved that the government of Quebec commit to (…) work with key players in the sharing economy (…) develop a legislative and regulatory framework that takes into account new business models (…) promote solutions that directly meet the needs of citizens by questioning the standards if necessary.”
“Let us vote in favour of this resolution,” Pierre Bouillon, a Liberal member, said at the microphone. “The new sharing economy is innovative (compared to) an old system that is inefficient.”
Casper Bloom, a member from Westmount—St-Louis, said the Quebec Liberal Party has always believed in a free market. “What we’re doing here is choking out competition (…) it leaves the population with the impression that the government is against competition.
“The world is watching us,” he warned.
Uber drivers use their own vehicles, are unlicensed and have minimal insurance and inspection costs, which taxi drivers have argued amounts to unfair competition.
Daoust told a news conference Thursday the California-based multinational technically owes the Quebec government about $20 million in unpaid taxes.
“Uber does not pay service taxes,” said Finance Minister Carlos Leitão Saturday. “If you look at their business model, the huge advantage that Uber taxis have over traditional taxis is the tax.”
The debate also veered into whether Bill 100 respects core Liberal values.
According to former premier Claude Ryan’s “Liberal Values in Contemporary Quebec”, Liberal values are: individual freedoms, identification with Quebec, economic development, social justice, respect for civil society, democracy and politics and ties to Canada.
On Friday, before the party’s general council meeting officially got under way, Marleau criticized Daoust’s Bill 100 for being at odds with some of those values.
“Does the bill respect Liberal values? I think it respects some values but probably not all of them (…) this bill could address Liberal values better,” he said.
But Marleau ate back his words Saturday, after meetings with Daoust and Premier Philippe Couillard.
“I was maybe misquoted,” Marleau argued. “I think the bill respects Liberal values 100 per cent.”
“I may have opened a door, it was a mistake because it doesn’t represent what I truly think,” he said.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
