During the 2008 election our government promised to monitor more closely gasoline and diesel retailers. Complaints of pricing inconsistencies and concerns over pump metering were the two major issues raised by Canadians.  The Minister of Industry, the Honourable Tony Clement, announced his ‘fairness at the pump initiative’ which will ensure that Canadians know that what is on the pump is what is in the tank. The ‘Fairness at the Pumps Act’ will require retailers to have the accuracy of their machines checked on a regular basis by independent inspectors. As well, the Act brings in court-imposed fines and a formal penalties system to back these fines up. This new Act sends a clear message: If businesses don’t do their part to ensure measurement accuracy, they will be held accountable.

I know that most fuel retailers ensure their pumps are certified by Weights and Measures inspectors.  This Act will ensure those few that are not will be held to account.

Our government supports a free market system and is willing to regulate areas of the market in the public interest. We took action to ensure our banking system is solid by making certain those that purchase homes have a minimum of 5% down and if the purchase is not a primary residence the minimum is 20%. 
Our Minister of Finance, the Honourable Jim Flaherty, announced a ‘Code of Conduct’ for the Credit and Debit Card Industry in Canada in order to make credit providers open and transparent in their dealings with Canadians. 

Currently, our government is working on new regulations to protect Canadian pensions. All these efforts are to ensure ethical and responsible conduct in the free market.

The great news is that the latest figures published by the International Monetary Fund and other international financial organizations, shows Canada’s economic recovery is considerably ahead of all other G-20 countries. Our Economic Action Plan is working for Canadians!

Colin Mayes, MP
Okanagan-Shuswap