The second topic I would like to hear your opinion on involves the protection of consumers with regard to banking services.
Last week, we heard from representatives of the Public Interest Advocacy Centre, who spoke to us about the issue of jurisdictions. This is a paragraph taken from their brief:
More simply stated, C-29 invites constitutional wrangling, instead of promoting legal certainty, which will harm consumers and banks.
This was the result of the centre's legal analysis, which highlighted the weak power of federal laws and regulations in connection with common law and the Civil Code, as well as the greater protection afforded by provincial elements.
I would like to know why the government is stubbornly pursuing this, as it did in the case of the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada. It tried to supercede the Supreme Court's ruling regarding provincial jurisdiction, despite losing many cases.
Are you not concerned that Quebec and other provinces will challenge this decision before the Supreme Court, and that the government will again lose time and money to try to establish jurisdiction in an area that is not federal at this time?