Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the hon. member for Lac-Saint-Louis.
Canadians assume that the increases in gas prices result in windfall billions for provincial and federal governments. There should be no windfall to any other order of government or business at the expense of Canadians. There is much value in this debate, but one fact is clear: gas guzzler sales have not diminished and some dealers are actually reporting increased SUV sales over the past month. I am prepared to deal fairly with the oil companies but another fact stands. They have been less than open in explaining their record profits while moaning about the world situation.
The Canadian Tourism Association had produced a document confirming that tourism from the south has dropped by 30% over the past four years. If we are going to restore discretionary tourism from vehicular traffic in the United States, then certainly high gas prices will not help.
In my riding of Thunder Bay—Rainy River and the surrounding ridings throughout northern Ontario, which have already been devastated by high electricity costs for the forest industry, the additional cost of fuel is further pressuring the competitiveness of the truckers who supply the products to the mills and then back to markets.
Canadians expect Parliament to react but also to lead by challenging big oil companies to fully rationalize their pricing. It is difficult to overcome the cynicism that the recent, rapid rises have generated. Parliament has to produce a plan that shows we are not simply subject to whimsical pricing by multinational corporations who care little for the people dependent on their products. Any relief we can provide will not only be appreciated by Canadians, but by those who visit and work in our country.
I am proposing a national task force into gas prices composed of members of all parties. This could spark the type of answers Canadians need. All suggestions heard tonight would be objectively weighed and considered. As it would be objective, it would hopefully set a tone, so that we may face the future with some measure of confidence.
If the Competition Bureau cannot prove collusion, then it should at the very least determine if the current skyrocketing pricing is anti-competitive and therefore unethical behaviour. If indeed the provincial governments can freeze gas prices tomorrow, then we should encourage them to do so, this from the federal government. The national government has to lead on this issue.
My experience over the past number of years as mayor in starting a local task force on gas prices and combining different people had some very interesting results. The most conclusive was that we were unable to obtain from any of the national oil companies in Canada a definitive reason as to why prices fluctuate so widely. Why do they rise rapidly on Friday morning? Why do they slowly come down on Tuesday? And why does this happen in different areas of the country irrespective of the transportation costs which are actually quite marginal?
I believe that, with my fellow member, the points that we will make tonight will be considered and I appreciate being given the opportunity to speak for northern Ontario.