The price will end up being the same as if it had been fixed.
Some of my friends are policemen and they pray every evening to thank God for stupid criminals. It makes their job so much easier. I think that with the distinctions that you draw, you are doomed to never catch them. One must invest in order to make a profit. At least, this is what I was taught, and I am not even sure whether I passed the course. At present, we realize that in the refining industry, avoiding investment is key to making a profit.
The number of refineries is declining. Therefore, the first company to invest in a refinery next to Irving in New Brunswick, Ultramar in Quebec, Esso in Halifax, PetroCan or Shell in Montreal will be kicked out of the country club. They will not have to use the telephone, but its name will be mud.
Are we pretending that we do not see what is going on?