Uber is threatening to leave Quebec next Saturday if the province insists on its new, common-sense rules.
We've seen multinational corporations dodge public safety or environmental rules that get in their way, but they're rarely as brazen about it as Uber in Quebec right now.
Last month, Quebec's Transport Minister announced that Uber's cab drivers will need to undergo extra training and background checks—which is a sensible effort to improve safety for drivers and the public.
Uber. Went. Ballistic.
The company gave regulators a deadline of October 14th and bombarded the government until they rescind the rules, a core tactic in Uber’s playbook.
Let's show Quebec's Transport Minister that we've got his back.
Sign the petition to the Quebec government to stand its ground and not give in to Uber's threats.
Uber's drivers in Quebec take home as little as $4.60 per hour, according to Le Journal de Montréal. That's far below minimum wage anywhere in Canada.
The company's lawyers say Uber is a cab company one day, or a technology platform the next, depending on which rules they want to dodge. And Uber's corporate structure is designed as an elaborate web of shell companies around the world so the company can avoid paying its fair share of taxes. So Uber threatening to leave Quebec might not be such a bad thing after all.
Cities and citizens around the world are getting tired of Uber's corporate shenanigans. Even Uber's new CEO admits that the company must change, and was forced to make a public apology to London last month. But Uber has the means to entice millions of customers with its discounts and mobilises people to sign petitions against sensible safety rules where they live.
Let the Quebec Minister of Transport know we have his back -- and urge him not give in to Uber's threats.
SumOfUs members have been campaigning -- and winning -- for months to stop Uber's abuses around the world. We helped keep Edmonton’s public transit falling into Uber’s hands this summer, helped stop London licensing Uber again in the UK capital, and even played a role in getting Uber’s board to oust their notorious co-founder and CEO Travis Kalanick.
More information
CBC. 26 September 2017.