Mr. Speaker, this government will continue to provide an economic climate that allows Canadian businesses to prosper. Furthermore, this government has acted to protect consumers at the pumps. We reduced the GST by 2%, we passed the Fairness at the Pumps Act, and we strengthened the powers of the Commissioner of Competition through substantial amendments to the Competition Act that make it illegal for competitors to conspire, arrange, or agree to fix prices, allocate customers, or restrict output of a product.
To further protect Canadians from price gouging, we increased Competition Act penalties upon conviction to jail terms of up to 14 years, fines of up to $25 million, or a combination of both. We have worked to protect consumers against anti-competitive behaviour, and the Competition Bureau will continue to enforce these measures whenever and wherever it finds evidence of behaviour that contravenes the Competition Act.
