The twinning program would provide opportunities for politicians on both sides to gain a better understanding of the problems facing both nations. One critical aspect of the twinning program is the initial twinning process. I hope to elicit the support of my fellow members of Parliament in determining the possible twinnings. I would greatly appreciate their assistance with this process. Mr. Speaker, Canadian banks are reporting enormous profits.
Shareholders are happy.
Banks pay taxes and so do their shareholders. The government has also imposed a 12.5 per cent surtax on the banks. So far, so good. What I, however, find indecent, prohibitive, shocking, even outrageous, are the interest rates charged by the banks on consumers' credit card balances as well as their service charges on banking transactions. The government's role is to protect users from this kind of shameless exploitation.