Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. parliamentary secretary for apologizing for the oil and gas industry. Again, it is just not acceptable. If people do not want to believe me as a New Democrat, then let us consider some of things Liberals have said about this issue. I would point to the comments of the member for Pickering—Scarborough East who said on CBC news, “a category five hurricane in the U.S. has given rise to a category five fleecing of the consumer at the pump”. He added that the refiners in Canada have seen fit to raise prices beyond what he called a catastrophic level.
That once again is consistent with the independent evidence that we heard at committee. Michael Ervin described the refining profits during Katrina as spectacular, spectacular off the backs of Canadians and consumers and other industries. It is not acceptable.
What the parliamentary secretary did not say is what the Liberals would do about situations like this in the future, or what they are willing to do right now to get some of that money back that has been fleeced from people.
I would conclude with another comment by the member for Pickering—Scarborough East. On CTV news in September he said, “The oil industry has to come clean....They're taking advantage of a desperate situation. I think that is terrible. It has to stop.”
It can only stop if the government has the political will. Stop giving the large corporate grants that those guys are getting, the $1.4 billion in grants from the government. There are also the corporate subsidies. At the same time, there is no accountability at the pumps for Canadians.