Mr. Speaker, I want to take this brief period to reply.
This marks the end of the third hour of debate at second reading of Bill C-393. We have had a number of speakers on the topic. It is clear that this is a business practice that is used not just by cable companies. I want to emphasize that. It is also used by telephone companies and it is used by banks.
Members have recognized that this is a perverse way of doing business. This is a twisting of the normal rules. The time has arrived that we recognize it is a widespread problem in federally regulated industries, it is a widespread problem in that it takes advantage of consumers in the country, and it is a widespread problem in that it reverses the normal rules of business practice.
For those reasons the bill should pass second reading and go to a committee so the committee can pass judgment upon the propriety of the bill. Then the bill should return to the House so that we may legislate in this place for the first time a degree of protection, a degree of fairness for consumers in the country, something that we have failed to do in this place, particularly in the realm of those industries that are federally regulated.