Madam Speaker, in response to the first part of my colleague's question, this is double jeopardy. The banks are making money from the customers who make the purchases and up to 4% on the charges to the businesses that provide the service. The banks should be very gratified that merchants are prepared to provide this service. It is gouging of the worst kind.
In terms of the government's motives, I am at a loss. I guess big banks and those who have access to the ear of power have more clout than those hard-working small business people. The irony is that it is the small businesses that are the heart of our communities. They create the jobs. They keep our communities strong. To ignore them is unconscionable. In fact it is even worse than ignoring them; it is giving the back of its hand to these people.