Bill C-319 (Historical)

Energy Price Commission Act

An Act to establish the Energy Price Commission

This bill was last introduced in the 39th Parliament, 2nd Session, which ended in September 2008.

This bill was previously introduced in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session.

Sponsor

Pat Martin  NDP

Introduced as a private member’s bill. (These don’t often become law.)

Status

Outside the Order of Precedence (a private member's bill that hasn't yet won the draw that determines which private member's bills can be debated), as of Oct. 16, 2007
(This bill did not become law.)

Summary

This is from the published bill. The Library of Parliament often publishes better independent summaries.

This enactment establishes an Energy Price Commission to regulate the wholesale and retail price of motor fuels, including diesel and propane, as well as heating oil and electric power. The purpose of price regulation is to avoid unreasonable increases that affect the cost of living and depress business activity.
Existing supply contracts are exempt for the first year.
The enactment will facilitate reasonable consistency in prices from province to province, allowing for production and distribution costs. The regulation further minimizes the risk of collusion in pricing and prevents dominant suppliers from setting unreasonable prices.
The enactment also links the issue of price control to competition. Any investigation of an alleged offence under the Competition Act that is related to energy pricing is referred by the Competition Tribunal to the Commission for investigation and report to the Tribunal before the Tribunal makes a determination or order on the matter.

Elsewhere

All sorts of information on this bill is available at LEGISinfo, an excellent resource from the Library of Parliament. You can also read the full text of the bill.

Energy Price Commission ActRoutine Proceedings

June 6th, 2006 / 10 a.m.
See context

NDP

Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-319, An Act to establish the Energy Price Commission.

Mr. Speaker, I am sure you would be the first to agree that Canadians are horrified at the burgeoning or the blossoming prices of energy. Many Canadians have an instinctive feeling that they are being gouged at the pumps over energy pricing.

The bill seeks to create a national energy price commission whereby the energy companies would have to come to that commission to justify why these increases in energy costs are justified.

The price commission would also be able to set the price of oil and gas for a period of not more than six months so that users, small businesses and trucking companies, could have some stability in the energy pricing and are not rattled by these erratic, seemingly arbitrary, fluctuations in prices.

The national energy price commission would be struck by government to monitor, oversee and, in fact, yes, regulate the energy costs for oil, gas, diesel, et cetera.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)