Madam Speaker, the vice-president of the Retail Council of Canada came to a forum that I held when we were consulting about the budget, and many small businesses have written to my constituency office saying these fees are extremely unfair. These fees have gone up and up, many times in the last year.
Collectively they have put together a big campaign called “Stop Sticking It To Us”. People can visit www.StopStickingItToUs.com. The Retail Council of Canada is pushing the Canadian government to amend the Bank Act so that we can take the kinds of actions that are desperately needed here in Canada to protect consumers, protect small businesses, and protect retailers.
The Retail Council of Canada is not alone. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business also said its members are confronted with uncontrollable cost increases from credit card companies. The Canadian Council of Grocery Distributors, too, is saying it needs real leadership from the Canadian government.