Manitoba Liberals are in favour of introducing laws to accommodate Uber

Winnipegfreepress.com
Oct. 22, 2015
By Larry Kusch

Rana Bokhari says a provincial Liberal government would introduce legislation to pave the way for ride-sharing services such as Uber.

In the latest in a series of populist policy announcements, the provincial Liberal leader said government can bury its head in the sand about the transportation innovation or be proactive and make sure the transition to the new service is fair and equitable for all.

"We will take a leadership role on this," she said Thursday.

"Ride-sharing services are "coming whether we like it or not," she said. "So if anyone’s going to argue that this isn’t going to happen, I think they’re wrong. It will happen. It’s already happening."

Bokhari said a Liberal government would introduce legislation directing MPI to create a new insurance category to deal with ride sharing.

She said a government she leads would also meet with the taxi industry to try "to make sure their livelihood is not destroyed."

Bokhari, elected provincial Liberal leader two years ago, was largely silent on policy issues until recently when she started making almost weekly announcements. Her party has only one seat in the Manitoba legislature. Manitobans go to the polls on April 19, 2016.

She has said liquor prices are too high and mused about privatizing booze sales. She’s vowed to increase the number of hip and knee replacements in the province by removing budget constraints on such operations. She has also called on the removal of the PST on child sporting goods and touted a form of proportional representation in the legislature.

Her pronouncements have brought increased attention from the governing New Democrats, who slammed her approach on her ride-sharing app policy on Thursday.

Drew Caldwell, minister responsible for the Taxicab Board, accused Bokhari of "being late to the party" in discussing the topic.

"We announced a number of months ago that we were undertaking public consultations this fall and winter," he said.

He also accused Bokhari of putting the cart before the horse on the issue - promising legislation before consulting with the public.

"We want to be sure-footed moving forward so that whatever solution we have to this emerging technology is one that is responsive to the Winnipeg market," Caldwell said.

Late Thursday, the government issued a press release saying it has released a request for proposals to review the state of the taxicab industry in Winnipeg and make recommendations on how to improve customer service and strengthen public safety.