Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I know, and I think Canadians know, that there's a lot we can't do about crude oil prices. We are price takers when it comes to crude oil.
Also, today, I'm not going to ask you a whole lot of questions about the speculators, because we have a panel on that later on. I think what we're trying to do is to figure out, given the restrictive nature of competition in the refinery and wholesale market, is how we can ensure that there's some fairness in that market. So yes, we can't control crude oil prices, and yes, there are issues with the financial market, but we're talking about inventory levels and price monitoring.
Regarding the point that was made earlier about the 5¢ up and down fluctuations that frequently are seen at the gas pumps, I'm curious to see if they are a direct reflection of...which, by the way, is not usually associated with the movements of crude oil prices up and down. Usually crude oil is stable or could go down, but still, on a weekly basis we'll see gas prices go and down about 5¢ or so. That's not relevant to the crude price, but is it relevant to the supply or the wholesalers—or is it the retailers? And if it is, and if we have such a competitive market at the retail level, why wouldn't the gas station next door be willing to accept a little lower margin and not follow the 5¢ increase, but instead accept a higher volume at the lower margin?
This is what I think a lot of Canadians have questions about, as they are not understanding these frequent 5¢ increases and decreases.