Thank you.
I gave notice of the motion. You have it before you. I will not read the motion, since I assume everyone has copies.
It is based on the hearings that we held with respect to ATMs and electronic payments. It requires this committee to request some information from the major chartered banks regarding costs of providing service through ATMs, the fees involved and the profits entailed. So it is a basic motion and request that this information be provided to this committee by the end of May, and that then be considered by this committee in terms of its further deliberation on the study and a report to Parliament.
Just by way of elaboration, let me say the following. First of all, the motion that was originally adopted by this committee called for a study. It didn't call for a set of hearings and to hear some witnesses. A study has usually been meant by this committee to mean a beginning, a middle, and an end.
I know that because it didn't technically raise the suggestion that this committee report back or have a concluding statement and a report to Parliament on our study, some members of this committee have felt it advantageous to try to ignore any further deliberations on this matter. But I want the committee to know that in fact it is not uncommon for motions to come before this committee calling for a study, and it's not uncommon, then, for the committee to conclude its deliberations. Having tested this at the steering committee last week, around which we didn't have a final discussion or conclusion, it was my feeling that I had to make sure that our motion entailed that concern.
So I have tried in this motion to deal with a very important outstanding concern, which is that of all of our witnesses, except for the big banks, suggesting this committee do its work and get information about the fees of ATMs, the costs involved, and the profits that follow. That, of course, Mr. Chairperson, you will know came from every organization, including the Canadian Consumer Initiative, the Community Coalition for Reinvestment, the Option consommateurs, and our economist Mr. Lew Johnson. Even the Consumers Association of Canada, I might add, felt that the least this committee could do would be to get the information and then make further determination about what we do with the information and how we take this issue further.
The motion does not suggest that we breach confidentiality, it does not specify that banks make this information publicly wide open. There are ways that we can receive the information and deal with it that won't breach confidentiality, so I hope the committee members won't use that excuse as a way to defeat this motion.
I will just conclude, Mr. Chairperson, by saying that I think it's imperative for us to do everything we can to convince the banks to follow some basic standards of transparency and accountability. So when it comes to asking for information around ATM fees, I should think, Mr. Chairperson, we don't want to just accept the tired rhetoric of the banks, who say they can't possibly provide this to us, and roll over and play dead. I hope that we will at least ask for the information and then see where it takes us.