Quebecois motorcyclists are accusing the province of discrimination

A group representing Quebec’s motorcyclists is lobbying the government over the province’s “discriminatory” provincial insurance and registration pricing model.

Created in 1993, Comité D’action Politique Motocycliste (CAPM-E) says its mission is to promote and defend the rights and liberties of Quebecois motorcyclists. On Aug. 6, CAPM-E registered to lobby Quebec’s Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility “to propose a review of motorcycle pricing deemed discriminatory,” reads the registration summary, which has been translated from French.

In 2024, La Société de l’assurance automobile du Quebec (SAAQ), the Crown corporation overseeing driver and vehicle licensing and public auto insurance, put forth a new tariff model for 2025-27.

Under the reformed fee structure, riding experience was taken into consideration for motorcyclists. While high-risk vehicles saw an increase in registration and insurance prices, riders with five or more years of experience were entitled to a fee reduction based on their bike model’s risk assessment.

Despite the SAAQ’s claim that the new fee model would help motorcyclists save money, CAPM-E has been opposed to the now in-effect changes from the start.

In a report prepared ahead of public consultations in 2024, CAPM-E argued that though the Crown’s recognition of experience is well-intentioned, the tiered structure stigmatizes motorcyclists in the eyes of the public.The group claims that by dividing motorcyclists based on their vehicle’s risk classification, the SAAQ is dismissing good behaviour.

Under the new model, a passenger car driver with 15 demerit points would spend a total of $668 for licensing and vehicle registration, regardless of driving experience or vehicle model; whereas motorcyclists with a clean record have to pay between nearly $500 and over $2,000 depending on their motorcycle’s risk assessment and experience level.

A spokesperson from SAAQ emphasized the rate structure included public consultations and insisted the contributions are “fair, transparent and evidence-based.”

“As motorcyclists face higher risks on the road and, on average, generate higher compensation costs when collisions occur, their insurance contributions are correspondingly higher,” wrote SAAQ communications director Simon-Pierre Poulin. He also brought attention to the SAAQ’s new rules for beginner riders that are intended to reduce the risks associated with motorcycles and bring down insurance costs. As of June, novice riders can’t operate hypersport motorcycles, and must obey a zero-alcohol policy, regardless of age.

“Because novice riders are disproportionately represented in motorcycle collision statistics, we believe these measures will first and foremost save lives and reduce the number of serious injuries,” Poulin said.

“Over time, [the policies will] help reduce compensation costs and ease pressure on insurance contributions paid by motorcyclists.”

When the Crown insurance corporation was first established in 1978, motorcycles were classified as passenger vehicles. Now, there are 18 insurance categories for motorcycles regardless of demerit points, and only three for cars, including learner’s permit holders and drivers on probation.

“Something’s not right here,” CAPM-E representative Jeannot Lefebvre told the IJF over the phone.

In the group’s official publications and conversations with the media, CAPM-E has accused the SAAQ of perpetuating inequities against motorcyclists and misusing public money, such as during the 2023 SAAQClic fiasco. In 2023, chaos ensued shortly after the SAAQ launched its online portal SAAQClic, which came with a hefty $500 million price tag. The severe technical failures and customer service crisis that followed sparked a public inquiry into the project, which concluded in 2025 that SAAQ management had deliberately lied to the public until former CEO Éric Ducharme came into office.

“In the aftermath of SAAQClic, we have a window to convince the ministry that the SAAQ has devolved from its original purpose to a bureaucratic institution,” says Lefebvre.