Mr. Speaker, Londoners are paying record prices at gas pumps for gas while big oil and gas companies are raking in windfall profits.
Individuals and families are suffering not just because of the price of gas, but the price of food is increasing because of the energy costs for production and transportation.
The manufacturing crisis in Ontario has meant thousands of job losses for London. Now, on top of this crisis, Londoners are being forced to pay more for gas and food while the government subsidizes the record profits of oil companies.
The Conservatives and the Liberals have always supported the big corporations, be they banks, big polluters, or in this case, the oil companies. It is time to put money back into consumers' pocketbooks. Oil companies and energy producers should have to justify and defend cost increases.
Londoners want fairness. When will the government set up an independent watchdog to monitor prices and help protect against all gas gouging?