Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Natural Resources was quoted as saying that Ottawa may not be able to tax crown owned utilities, but she would like to hear ideas on how to put them on level ground with investor owned electricity and natural gas utilities.
I know for a fact that a coalition of privately owned utility companies from across Canada sent this minister a copy of their document entitled: "Equitable Tax Treatment for Utilities in Canada". It represents a fair alternative that would increase the utility costs by less than 1 per cent for all Canadians instead of a 7.5 per cent increase for Albertans and Nova Scotians as proposed in the budget.
If the minister really is serious about fairness she would seriously consider their ideas before she cuts the private utilities income tax transfer. She would also advise the Minister of Finance to commit to doing this when he meets with Calgary's mayor today.