Uber 'here to stay:' Quebec Transport Minister Jacques Daoust

Saying Uber and other disruptive technologies are "here to stay," Quebec's new transport minister, Jacques Daoust, called for a parliamentary commission to study how to level the playing field between taxis and ride-hailing apps.

In a statement, Daoust said technologies that allow unlicensed drivers to make money transporting people is a global phenomenon that won't go away.

"At the same time, everyone recognizes the importance for the taxi industry to modernize. In this context, the status quo is not an option," Daoustsaid.

"We must put in place rules that ensure the end of unfair competition."

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The commission would hear from the main players in the current spat between taxi drivers and Uber, themobile app company thatallows almost anyone with a recent-model car to give lifts for money.

Uber welcomed the news, saying it will be happy to collaborate with the commission.

"Since we arrived in Quebec, we've asked for regulations that frame urban ride-sharing," Uber spokespersonJean-Christophe De Le Rue saidin a statement.

Daoust's announcement comes one day after theunion representing some 4,000taxi drivers in Montreal filed a request for a permanent injunction to ban Uberin Quebec.

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The minister said the Uber controversy is a high-priority issue, and hewill propose the parliamentary commission to the National Assembly "in the coming weeks."