Mr. Speaker, as economists, I am sure we have a number of passions and topics of conversation in common.
First, Quebec has its own standards, which means that, if Ottawa were to change its standard, nothing would change in Quebec. Second, the Conservatives have made up this wacky number, seven cents per litre, based on an outdated analysis from when oil prices were lower.
Now they are putting this out there at a time when oil prices are rising and are equivalent to biofuel prices. Getting rid of that standard would be nothing more than a gift to oil companies, just like getting rid of the industrial carbon tax would boost their bottom line without bringing down the price at the pump. What this really is is lobbying in the interest of the oil industry.