Mr. Speaker, the gasoline tax was increased by the recent federal government, at least the federal portion on the gasoline tax, by 1.5 cents a litre. With the addition of the GST, this should have raised the price of gas by 1.61 cents a litre.
Mr. Speaker, I object to the federal tax increase apparently being used as an excuse to extract an additional 1.19 cents from my constituents who are solely dependent on this retailer. I object to being told that the new price of 77 cents a litre is based on the increased federal tax plus GST when it is quite apparently a federal tax increase, plus GST, plus a price increase. The product is delivered and purchased on an annual basis. The dealer has a monopoly and a lot of people in my community depend on that gasoline, including people who live on the land.
I'm going to explore what remedies might be available to deal with this situation and I'm glad for the chance to report to this House on this problem. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
---Applause