Mr. Speaker, I have the honour of presenting a petition this morning on the subject of soaring oil and gas prices. The petition is signed by residents of British Columbia, including a number of residents of Burnaby--Douglas.
The petitioners point out that energy is a Canadian natural resource but that we have little effective control over this resource. They express concern about the big oil companies that dominate refining and gasoline sales, that are free to set whatever price they want at the wholesale level and at the pumps and that there is absolutely no effective oversight of oil and gas prices. They point out that Canadian households and businesses rely on energy and have no alternative but to pay the higher prices.
Therefore, the petitioners call upon parliament to urge the government to set up an energy price commission that would hold the big oil companies accountable for the energy prices they charge to Canadians.