News Release - July 24, 2007
VICTORIA - Following comments made yesterday by the Federal Minister of Natural Resources, the B.C. Liberals must stand up for the rights of British Columbians ahead of the interests of big oil companies, Opposisition Energy Critic John Horgan said today.
"Just as with offshore oil exploration, the federal Minister of Natural Resources' comments on gas price gouging yesterday show us once again that the B.C. Liberals are in league with the Federal Conservatives on issues that matter to British Columbians," said Horgan, the MLA for Malahat - Juan de Fuca. "It is high time that the B.C. Liberals broke ranks with their federal Conservative colleagues and put the interests of British Columbians above those of big oil."
At a news conference in Victoria yesterday, federal Minister of Natural Resources Gary Lunn suggested that he was not even aware of the price of gas and that he did not intend to take any action on the issue.
"It makes me wonder whether the B.C. Minister of Energy and Mines has even bothered to relay the concerns of British Columbians to his federal counterparts. The complete disregard that the B.C. Liberals and the federal Conservatives are showing towards consumers who are getting hosed at the pumps is totally unacceptable," said Horgan.
According to price tracking company GasBuddy, prices in B.C. have consistently been the highest in the country. Motorists in smaller communities being particularly hard hit - a litre of gas in Invermere costs 124.9 cents and in Prince Rupert costs 122.9 cents. Consumers in Greater Victoria are paying up to 111.9 cents for a litre of gasoline.
"Neither the provincial nor the federal government will stand up for the rights of British Columbians and, at the very least, conduct an investigation into gas price gouging," said Horgan. "Rather than getting to the bottom of this, our governments are sitting back and hoping that the whole thing blows over. Meanwhile, big oil companies are raking in millions of dollars a day in excess profits, money that comes straight out of the pockets of hardworking Canadians."
Horgan has been calling on the B.C. government to follow the lead of jurisdictions like Washington State and conduct an investigation into gasoline pricing. The Ontario Minister of Energy has asked the federal government to give the Competition Bureau the power to conduct a thorough investigation into gas price gouging, but B.C. Minister of Energy and Mines Richard Neufeld has taken no action at all.
In March, Horgan introduced the Retail Petroleum Consumer Protection Act, which would protect consumers from wildly fluctuating gas prices by giving the B.C. Utilities Commission the power to regulate gas prices. The legislation received second reading on May 7, and remains on the Order Papers.
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