moved for leave to introduce Bill C-349, an act to amend the Competition Act (vertically integrated gasoline suppliers).
Mr. Speaker, I have been involved with this issue now for over 12 years. I have been responsible, along with the community, for at least three different national as well as regional inquiries. Every single time the report came back it indicated that there was no price fixing.
Quite simply, when we look at the Competition Act as it is, we can drive a camel through it. We are not going to be able to find out whether a company is responsible for price fixing or not. The oil companies are in a conflict of interest on a regular basis because they control the sales at the retail outlet and supplies the oil as well.
My bill would forbid Canadian oil companies from selling while at the same time retailing gasoline at the pumps. As a result of that, no oil company can be a retailer and a supplier at the same time.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)