The Coalition Avenir Québec government has tabled a bill to limit the fees third-party food-delivery services, such as DoorDash and Uber Eats, can charge restaurant owners during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bill 87, tabled at the national assembly on Thursday by André Lamontagne, the minister of agriculture, fisheries and food, would apply only for as long as restaurant dining rooms are closed under the province’s health decree.

The proposed legislation would see all delivery costs capped at 15 per cent of the bill’s total, with all cost calculations based on the total order, not including taxes and tips.

An additional five per cent could be charged when an order is made through a third-party application.

In the case where food is ordered online or through an app but delivery services aren’t included, fees charged would be limited to 10 per cent.

That means the maximum a third-party service provider could charge a restaurant owner is 20 per cent of the total order.

Currently, some delivery apps charge up to 30 per cent.

“It’s great news,” said Martin Vézina, spokesperson for the Quebec Restaurant Association. “Something that will give them 10 per cent more of their revenues is important.”

Vézina says the association has been pushing the government for this kind of help since January, when the provincewide overnight curfew came into effect.

Restaurants in both Quebec City and Montreal were forced to close down their dining rooms in October 2020 when the second wave of the virus hit the province, leaving many relying solely on takeout, pickup and delivery to stay afloat.