Madam Speaker, the issue of competition in this country is an incredibly important one when it is set against the backdrop of skyrocketing prices.
After eight years of the NDP-Liberal government, we have seen the effect of its policies. Take a look at rent; it has doubled. Take a look at mortgage payments; they have doubled. The cost of borrowing has skyrocketed. What we need in our country right now is not less competition. How would less competition manifest itself with banks? Right now, there are a couple of big banks that are in competition. That has produced record-high interest rates. Everyone who is just trying to get into the housing market or who is looking for a renewal has never seen interest rates at the levels we have today. People who are going to be renewing mortgages in the next two years are going to be renewing their 1.8%, five-year fixed mortgage at, what, 5.5% or 6.5%? People's mortgage payments have doubled, at a time when we have record food bank usage.
Food price inflation has skyrocketed. I was having a conversation with a manager of one of the local food banks in my community. One of the challenges they have is a need for more funding or more volunteers, more folks to be at the food bank longer, because now, it has to have longer operating hours. Why is that? It is a new problem. It needs to be open when people finish their shift at work. People are working one or two jobs, and then they have to find the time to get to the food bank to pick up enough nutritious food to supplement what they are able to afford, in order to be able to feed themselves and their children. A third of all food bank users today are children. Prices are going up. Shelter costs are gobbling up the income, the available funds, that families should have to be able to feed their—