Even at the most simplistic level this bill would result in much higher gas prices at the pumps and, ironically, the first person to rise in the House to challenge and demand that the government take action on the rising gasoline prices is none other than the member for Toronto—Danforth, the sponsor of the bill.

Secondly, rather than focusing on superficial issues, a campaign on the euro should concentrate on consumer protection and on preventing abusive increases in prices, for we cannot allow the change in currency to become another occasion for a few irresponsible businessmen to take the opportunity to increase prices more than they should.

16. Calls for additional finance for the setting-up in each Member State of national forums for the euro, under the responsibility of the Minister of Finance and in close co-operation with the national central banks, a system which has proved its usefulness on previous occasions; considers that the EU should support "twinning" projects whereby the old Member States may help the dissemination of good practices and transfer of expertise, at the level of Ministries of Finance and in the central banks; calls on the Commission to draw up specific reports based on best practices and to encourage national, regional and local authorities to establish local reporting centres where anyone can report any abuse ...[+++], such as unwarranted price increases;

Pursuant to Order made Wednesday, September 20, 2000, the House resumed consideration of the motion of Mr. Hill (Prince George Peace River), seconded by Mr. Benoit (Lakeland), That given the record increases in the price of gasoline and home and diesel fuel, severely hurting Canadian consumers, truck drivers and businesses, and given the recent promise by the Minister of Finance to reduce taxes, this House call upon the government to give relief on fuel taxes, including repealing the increase in gasoline excise tax introduced as a tem ...[+++]porary deficit elimination measure in 1995 and implementing the 1998 recommendation of the Liberal Caucus committee on gasoline pricing in Canada to remove the double taxation of the GST.

Mr. Hill (Prince George Peace River), seconded by Mr. Benoit (Lakeland), moved, That given the record increases in the price of gasoline and home and diesel fuel, severely hurting Canadian consumers, truck drivers and businesses, and given the recent promise by the Minister of Finance to reduce taxes, this House call upon the government to give relief on fuel taxes, including repealing the increase in gasoline excise tax introduced as a temporary deficit elimination measure in 1995 and implementing the 1998 recommendation of the Liber ...[+++]al Caucus committee on gasoline pricing in Canada to remove the double taxation of the GST.

Mr. Claude Bachand (Saint-Jean, BQ): Mr. Speaker, I am today tabling a petition from some one thousand of my fellow citizens of Saint-Jean, who object to exorbitant fuel prices.