Tabling a petition calling for the government to stop gouging at the pumps

Ms. Chris Charlton (Hamilton Mountain, NDP): Mr. Speaker, I too have two petitions to present this morning. The first one is a set of petitions that keep pouring into my riding of Hamilton Mountain.

The petitioners call on the government to take action on the price of gasoline by adopting my Bill C-336.

Statistics Canada keeps underlining that rising gasoline prices are the biggest trigger in raising our rate of annual inflation, so the petitioners know that they are getting hosed at the pumps. Unfortunately, as it stands now, they can only complain to each other because there is no official avenue through which they can seek redress.

That is why the petitioners are calling for the speedy passage of my Bill C-336, which would establish the oil and gas ombudsman. The ombudsman will be charged with providing strong and effective consumer protection to make sure that no big business can swindle, cheat or rip-off hard-working Canadians.