Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate the Greater Toronto Airport Authority for recent efforts to prevent illegal taxis from stealing business at Pearson International Airport.
For several years Transport Canada and the airport were seriously neglectful of their obligations to protect the taxi and limousine licences they sold to drivers at the airport.
Rogue taxi drivers, who are called scoopers, were routinely stealing fares and operating illegally, exposing travellers to fare gouging and risks to safety from unregulated drivers and cars.
The new enforcement initiative was supported by officials from the federal Department of Transport and also by officials from the Province of Ontario who are now also developing provincial laws and procedures to support this new initiative.
In addition to eradicating illegal taxi scoopers, the GTAA is reforming its taxi and limo permit system to allow more independent taxis and a new group of licensed limousines. I have been an advocate of these changes for 12 years now and I applaud the progress that has been made.