Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you, witnesses, for being here today.
Madam Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner, I have to tell you, I wasn't one who was keen on another discussion on gasoline, but perhaps we could look at some of the figures, Mr. Taylor, that you provided.
I was reluctant to have this discussion, simply because I believe the proverbial horse has left the barn with respect to mergers that have taken place. My colleague Mr. Masse has cited the number of refineries that have shut down, from 44 all the way down to 17, with a number of those refineries running at very high utilization rates. I too saw some of the Esso stations out of gasoline again today--I have no doubt perhaps as a result of some dislocation at the Nanticoke refinery. Suffice it to say that we are at a point now where there is very little supply, or supply sufficient to meet the demands in our country, and of course, in our region.
Mr. Taylor, you had pointed out some numbers that I'm sure the independent gas retailers are going to be interested in challenging you on. But you've said that the normal retail margin was somewhere around...did I hear 20¢ a litre? Is that what you're saying?