Mr. Speaker, a merger of the major Canadian banks will have a direct impact on the public, given the scope of the economic and social issues involved. In the Standing Committee on Finance, many witnesses have called for a careful examination of consumer services in order to ensure that consumers do not bear the brunt of such a merger.
Does the Minister of Finance agree that it would be in the public interest for any planned bank mergers to always be submitted to a parliamentary committee for scrutiny, contrary to the recommendation of the Senate committee last December?