Mr. Speaker, one of the sure signs that spring has finally arrived occurred in the past week. The sign was not an increase in the temperature but a huge increase in the price of gasoline. Canadians are once again being gouged by the major oil companies as prices in metro Toronto rose from 54.5 cents to 59 cents per litre on average.
Many oil companies and dealers are blaming the steep increase on high crude oil prices while others blame a shortage of gasoline supplies for putting more upward pressure on prices.
Oil companies always seem to have an excuse for holding Canadians at ransom. If we do not pay their inflated prices we can walk. They have to be held accountable for the blatant and shameful practices they use on honest hardworking Canadians. The federal government must enact legislation to control price fixing within the gasoline industry.
These are the voices of 30 million Canadians I am raising in the House.