A group of Quebec motorcyclists has filed a $100 million class action suit against the provincial SAAQ license bureau in response to provincial rules that force them to pay for two licenses.
Current regulations require motorcyclists to have both a class 5 license in order to drive a car and a separate class 6 license to ride a motorcycle.
Hugo De Koulen, a lawyer who is spearheading the suit, has denounced the system for being too expensive.
If a judge green-lights the class action suit, the group hopes that 500,000 class 6 permit holders will eventually be compensated between $200 and $300 each and that the system will be changed.
De Koulen said that Quebec's no fault insurance system hurts bikers because they usually suffer the most in accidents with larger vehicles but have no right to sue the offending motorist, contrary to the practice elsewhere in Canada and the United States.
Motorcyclists are charged more money by the SAAQ as a way to compensate for the disproportionate costs they incur in accidents, a system which De Koulen argues believes is prejudicial.
He proposes that all motorists pay $10 more for their annual registration, rather than have each motorcyclist pay roughly $100 more for their annual license.
He said that in 2008 Quebec had 1.5 million motorcyclists, a total that has since been reduced to 500,000.
"The SAAQ lost money by doing this procedure, if everybody paid a bit more, there would be no problem. And the system would be preserved," said De Koulen.
About 30 riders were present Friday morning at Montreal courthouse to support the suit and called upon Premier Marois to intervene in order to ease the burden on bikers.
