Mr. Speaker, in 1988 Petro-Canada entered into an agreement with Daly Enterprises of Saint John, New Brunswick. Four years later Petro-Canada, whose motto is "committed to Canadians", reneged on its commitment, saying: "If you don't like it, take us to court".
In a blatant attempt to force Daly to sell its prime locations, Petro-Canada is demanding a 24 per cent interest charge on money it claims Daly owes. This is not an isolated case.
Many Canadians are appalled by this insensitive loan shark behaviour from a company that is still 70 per cent government owned.
Last Thursday in response to a question about the bullying tactics of Petro-Canada against the Curtis family, the Minister of Natural Resources seemed surprised and said she would look into this situation.
On behalf of all Petro-Canada dealers who believe they have been shafted, it is incumbent upon the minister responsible to launch a long overdue investigation into its questionable business practices.