Dozens of taxi drivers led a traffic disruption action at Montreal-Trudeau Airport on Monday to draw attention and remind the government that they are opposed to Bill 17, which provides for the end of taxi permits.
They met in Laval in the morning to discuss their mobilization before forming a convoy and traveling together to the airport.
Taxis could not block the traffic, once arrived on the spot, because of an injunction obtained by Aéroports de Montréal in 2016 which requires the drivers to "refrain from obstructing, alone or in groups, the access to the airport [or to] its parking.
They nevertheless managed to slow down the traffic for about an hour.
The purpose of Bill 17 is to modernize the regulation of the paid transportation of persons by car in order to further liberalize this sector of activity, in which non-traditional players such as Uber have been invited in recent years.
It must come into force in 2020 and provides for the abolition of taxi permits, which bothers drivers because they paid a lot of money to get those licenses. Some had to pay up to $ 200,000.
The former Liberal government promised a $ 250 million compensation fund, before that amount was doubled by the current government, to $ 500 million.
The offer of half a billion dollars in compensation, however, is considered too low and unfair by drivers and their union representatives.
The Minister of Transport, François Bonnardel, has repeatedly said that this is a final offer.
The detailed study of Bill 17, in the National Assembly, continues from Tuesday until September 3.
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https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/1275386/francois-bonnardel-projet-loi-taxi-perturbation-chauffeurs-aeroport-montreal
