The reason, obviously, is this: If this happens once.... Perhaps within a two-week period, the CEO of one of Canada's largest companies might not be able to find the time to get on the private jet and fly here, but this is not fool me once, fine, fool me twice.... It's a habit. It is a habit of this CEO to not want to be accountable to Parliament, and I've had enough.
It's disrespectful to our democratic process. He does not think much of our democratic process, and I can understand why he doesn't think much, because we try to hold them to account for these outrageous things like jacking up the price of a rental box for your Wi-Fi or your cable by $7 a month when you have a fixed-rate contract. I understand that, and it's no offence to our witness here, who probably runs the business as his executive team wants him to. They gouge customers on fine print, but Mr. Staffieri is ultimately the guy who's accountable to the board. If he's not willing to come, I think maybe we'll summon Edward Rogers next, if the habit of this company to defy Parliament continues.
They are, by the way, the most expensive cell company in the world. I know that I don't have to tell Canadians that; they know that. If you don't believe me, believe the international comparison study that's about 800 pages of cell phone companies around the world, called Rewheel. We have copies of it on our side. We could probably get one from the industry department for some other folks if they wanted it.
It's quite damning that, on every package size with every cell phone company in the world, Rogers continues to consistently be the most expensive. I guess that's perhaps why, if that's not bad enough on their rates, they bury in the fine print other unlimited charges that they can jack up.
When some customer signs a fixed-rate contract, they usually think that means a fixed rate for two years. If you're going to pay $100 for your cell phone with all the bells and whistles, about twice what you would pay in the U.S., you think somehow that fee won't change during the two years, or that, when you pick your bundled package with your cable box, that's on a fixed rate. That's how they're marketed. They're marketed as a fixed rate. You know, we'll give you this great deal. Put all this together, bundle it together, and this is what you're going to pay every month.
However, if you're a Rogers customer, apparently you have to read the 42 pages of fine print they send you in the email contract, because they don't print out paper ones anymore when you go in their store. Buried in that are the escape valves.
Mr. Staffieri has to be held accountable for this. He has to stop thumbing his nose at Parliament, and he has to come here and be accountable for the actions of the company he leads.