Mr. Chair, in answer to my colleague, I am the first to admit that adding more layers of government may not be the way we will eliminate the problems encountered in this issue.
Personally, myself, I made a payment on the weekend. I do not remember exactly which credit card it was for, but they told me that an interest rate of 28% would apply if I missed the due date. I continue to believe that more work is needed on raising awareness. There will never be policies so coercive that they could sensitize the individual consumer better than if he does it himself.
The problem is not with the existence and purpose of credit cards. Nowadays, we cannot hide the fact that they are part of our daily existence. They provide a way to operate smoothly in our society. Consequently, the real problem, in my opinion, is not that these credit cards exist. And in fact, as the hon. member mentioned, there is a wide variety of cards that give many options to all users.
The problem comes from the fact that certain people have not had the training or information, and certainly not the knowledge needed to use credit cards intelligently. We cannot hide from this fact. In today's society, people say they should have the lifestyle they can afford. It is a well-known fact that those who exceed the lifestyle they can afford run into trouble. It is exactly the same thing with the use of credit cards.
Moreover, I do not believe that adding more rules through legislation would be a realistic way to limit the damage, in the same way that even if we were to close all the casinos in one province, the real gamblers would find a way to play in a different province or a different country.