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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 43

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
March 22, 2022 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 43 - Mar/22/22
Mr. Larry Maguire
  • Mar/22/22 10:37:08 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I have a simple answer for my hon. colleague: yes. My colleague from Abbotsford talked about the increases in oil prices, and I just want to add that they have gone up 30% since we came back to the House after the new year. If she thinks that is due to the gouging, which is the word I heard earlier, from the oil companies, she is definitely wrong. There are profits to be made in this industry, but the biggest one is the taxes that are on the cost of fuel today, and the increase puts a lot more money in the government's coffers than it did in those of the oil companies. That is why we are reasonably asking today for the GST to be taken off of the price of gas. The government has the full authority and mandate to do that overnight.
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Context: House Hansard - 43 - Mar/22/22
Mr. Charlie Angus (Timmins—James Bay, NDP)
  • Mar/22/22 10:38:11 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I was surprised to hear the Conservatives say there is no evidence of price gouging. I invite the hon. member to come north of Highway 17, where we often pay 30¢ more a litre in towns such as Kirkland Lake and Timmins than they pay in southern Ontario. In 2019, the British Columbia Utilities Commission, under the New Democrats, found out there was price gouging of at least 13¢ a litre. Does the hon. member agree that we need to push the Competition Bureau to start making sure that in isolated, northern communities, we are not getting ripped off at the pumps because of these arguments that we are a little further away from the centre? If we deal with price gouging, people will at least have a fair chance, especially with the outrageous prices we are paying because of Putin's war.
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Context: House Hansard - 43 - Mar/22/22
Mr. Taylor Bachrach (Skeena—Bulkley Valley, NDP)
  • Mar/22/22 1:15:05 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, my fellow British Columbian colleague's last comment about price gouging seemed to suggest that price gouging by oil companies is not a big issue when it comes to gas prices, but he will be familiar with the fact that, in 2019, the B.C. Utilities Commission did a study and found that 13 cents of what were then much lower gas prices were attributed to factors that could not be explained by the competitive market. Today, that 13 cents is likely much more. Could the member speak to this discrepancy and uncompetitive gouging that is happening at the pumps?
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