I am not worried, Madam Speaker, so do not let the heckling bother you. I actually find it helpful when members do that. It keeps me focused and gives me the odd new idea by which I can then launch another missile. They can go ahead and chirp.
When I received this $700 gas bill I phoned the gas company and asked if it was a typing error or if the computer had spit out a bill in error. I was told that my meter had not been functioning for the past six months and the company did not realize it until it went out on a routine inspection. The company calculated my bill based on my normal use in the home.
By the way, my sons do not live there anymore, thank the Lord. I should give the House a wonderful announcement and that is that approximately 30 days from yesterday my son's wife will be delivering my first grandchild which will be a terrific experience.
It is just my wife and I and our good old dog Duke who live at home and Duke does not use the gas. It is just me and Katie sitting there. I was shocked when I received my bill and was told by the company that through no fault of my own my meter was not working and I was hit with a $700 bill.
They said that I was a member of parliament and I could afford it. I said that they did not know that and that was not the point. What if this happened to a single mom who was struggling to survive, who was working two jobs? What if that happened to a family that was just getting by month to month? I am sorry, but that is a reality for a young couple starting out, for my own kids starting out and worrying about bills and everything else. What if they get a $700 gas bill that has nothing to do with anything they did? They did not run an appliance. They did not misuse the gas.
Guess what: the bottom line of all of this is that I had to pay it. I thought it was just outrageous. I said that I would tell them something: my complaint was not that it was happening to me, but that this could happen to any one of my constituents living in a home of similar square footage with similar usage in terms of gas. Then they said not to worry, that they would split it in three. Is that not comforting? We will split it in three. It is like whatever that is, tell me quick, those guys who are the mathematicians. It is still a lot of money, right? We are talking $200 or $300, close enough, that has to be paid over three months. The hon. members are not being helpful to me here.