Most importantly, the necessary steps must be taken to fight this disease so as to keep the hope of a definitive victory alive. Desperate seniors have contacted me to ask how they will afford to pay for heat with their fixed incomes. Some northern farmers are still struggling to dry whatever damp grain they manage to harvest. People believe these hikes represent the gouging of a captive market by the big gas companies. Propane is a byproduct of natural gas production, yet we have not seen a similar doubling of natural gas prices.
Producers say there is a shortage because of a fire in one plant in Mexico.
With no adequate explanation or justification from the industry, consumers view these increases as extortion. Reform believes in the operation of a free market but it is free only when there is no price fixing and when anti-combines legislation is effectively enforced. Mr. Speaker, Statistics Canada is in the process of changing the data collection program it uses to prepare its monthly unemployment figures. The existing procedure has not been changed in over 20 years and no longer provides a true picture of the new labour market reality. As we all know, the labour market has undergone significant changes in recent years.