Madam Speaker, I took great interest in my colleague's speech. I have been listening all morning and I have heard a very distasteful line being promoted by the Conservative Party. They are really the Cadillac Conservatives.
During the worst economic crisis in Canadian history, the Conservatives are blaming the people who are losing their jobs. They are blaming the people who are being ripped off. They say we need some financial literacy, as though the people who come into my office, who are faced with usurious credit card rates, are somehow hicks and illiterates. The idea that if we help these people become smarter so they can become responsible, as though they were irresponsible in the first place, is absolute gall. The motion talks about protecting cardholders who pay on time, limiting abusive fees and penalties, prohibiting issuers from charging interest on debt that has always been repaid, ensuring that cardholders are informed of the terms of their account and protecting young consumers from aggressive credit card practices.
How can the Conservatives be so dismissive and out of touch with the reality of what average Canadians face right now, being ripped off by the banks and the credit card companies?