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Topic: Gas gas gas....... (Read 584 times)
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Mike Blais
SSM (NATO Bar), CPSM, UN-Cyp, CD
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A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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Something not exactly on target but irritates the living bejjeebers out of me, specially this morning when the gas pig I drive got, once a freaking again, thirsty.
I'm sure you've all read that we are getting gouged, I mean, not in the sense of speculative whining but figuratively, for a minimum of fifteen cents on the litre. You would think that this would be an issue politicians would hop onto and ride to a majority, I mean, how can you loose by taking on the oil companies that have been boning us for decades. Alas, such is not to be.
A couple of blurbs, one referring to the opposition call for government interdiction (on behalf of you and me) then another that deals with the Torries plan for North American integration. Its all about inventory, of which we have squat, apparently. Why is that? Does it not just make us weak and dependent on the oil companies? And put the inventory dilemma in perspective on the second article and the situation becomes even more muddled. Clearly we are not in a position to cater to American needs over our when we, unlike them, do not have strategic reserves to draw upon. The New-Cons, of course, would dismiss our concerns... or, more bizarrely, throw a tissy fit, cancel a meeting they chaired (how much money was wasted there, eh?) and then, like petulant children, stormed out... How do you say grow up in Quebec...
Minister dismisses gas price concerns
Certain consumers to pay less once 'problem with the inventory' resolved
May 11, 2007 04:30 AM
Richard Brennan
OTTAWA BUREAU
OTTAWA–Industry Minister Maxime Bernier yesterday swept aside consumer concerns about high gasoline prices.
"If you look at all the other countries around the world ... when you try to control prices it is not working," Bernier told reporters as he charged out the door to his chauffeur-driven car on Parliament Hill.
He had earlier stated in question period that the price of gas is all a matter of supply and demand.
Bernier was asked during question period about a report yesterday from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, which states that Canadian motorists are paying more than they should – from 15 cents a litre in Toronto to as much as 27 cents a litre in Vancouver – because of "profiteering" by the big oil companies.
The centre said it examined gas prices before and after Hurricane Katrina in the fall of 2005 and found that the rules of the game for pricing gasoline at the pump had changed overnight.
Bernier said anyone with a beef can file a complaint with the Competition Bureau, which has never been able to prove collusion among oil companies.
"What we have right now is a problem with the inventory ... the market is responding to supply and demand," he said, adding he was sure the price will go down again.
Bernier insisted he cares about high gasoline prices.
But NDP Leader Jack Layton said while Bernier may think everything is okay, "there is no question that gas companies are gouging Canadians ... but the government prefers to turn a blind eye."
"The big companies are simply profiteering at the expense of hardworking Canadians who are simply trying to get around," he said, adding there should be an inquiry into why the prices have jumped so dramatically as well a commission to monitor prices, possibly with the powers to roll back prices.
Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion said the Competition Bureau has to be given more "tools to be sure that nothing inappropriate is happening."
With files from Canadian Press
and....
Tories storm out of meeting on sharing energy with U.S
Kelly Patterson, CanWest News Service
Published: Friday, May 11, 2007
OTTAWA - Amid heated charges of a coverup, Tory MPs on Thursday abruptly shut down parliamentary hearings on a controversial plan to further integrate Canada and the U.S.
The firestorm erupted within minutes of testimony by University of Alberta professor Gordon Laxer that Canadians will be left "to freeze in the dark" if the government forges ahead with plans to integrate energy supplies across North America.
He was testifying on behalf of the Alberta-based Parkland Institute about concerns about the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP), a 2005 accord by the U.S., Canada and Mexico to streamline economic and security rules across the continent. The deal, which calls North American "energy security" a priority, commits Canada to ensuring American energy supplies even though Canada itself - unlike most industrialized nations - has no national plan or reserves to protect its own supplies, he argued.
At that point, Tory MP Leon Benoit, chair of the Commons Standing Committee on International Trade which was holding the SPP hearings, ordered Laxer to halt his testimony, saying it was not relevant.
Opposition MPs called for, and won, a vote to overrule Benoit's ruling.
Benoit then threw down his pen, declaring, "This meeting is adjourned," and stormed out, followed by three of the panel's four Conservative members.
The remaining members voted to finish the meeting, with the Liberal vice-chair presiding.
Benoit's actions are virtually unprecedented, observers say; at press time, parliamentary procedure experts still hadn't figured out whether he had the right to adjourn the meeting unilaterally. Benoit did not respond to calls for comment.
It's "reckless and irresponsible" of the government not to discuss protecting Canada's energy supply, says Laxer.
Atlantic Canada and Quebec already have to import 90 per cent of their supply - 45 per cent of it from potentially unstable sources such as Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Algeria, Laxer said.
Meanwhile, Canada is exporting 63 per cent of its oil and 56 per cent of its gas production, mostly to the U.S., he says.
"It's shocking the extent to which the Conservative party will go to cover up information about the SPP," says NDP MP Peter Julian, who also sits on the committee.
Other MPs raised concerns about recently revealed plans under the SPP to raise Canadian limits on pesticide residues to match American rules.
Questions were also raised about whether the effort will open the door to bulk water exports.
Representatives from the departments of Industry and International Trade defended the SPP as an effort to protect Canadian jobs in a competitive global market, without sacrificing standards.
They denied charges SPP negotiations have been secretive, saying civil-society groups are welcome to offer their input, and referred MPs to the government website, which lays out in general terms the SPP initiatives.
Ottawa Citizen
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
Pro Patria
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terry hanna
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Hi MIKE,PHEW! i thought we were getting ripped-off here in the u.k. (a.k.a.) ''RIP OFF BRITAIN''have you ever wondered how gas prices can rise almost instantaneous over night, yet takes weeks/months to come down?  . most politicians have ''interests'' in the oil business but through the use of proxies eg; wives/boyfriends buying the shares etc .... NOT ONE OF THEM INVOLVED IN COMMITEES would ever pass legistration/laws that would take money out of their own pockets. being in govt gives mp's access to the biggest slush fund in town,you work for 20/30 years for a meagre pension they work 4/6 years for a full protected pension. etc etc you can think of many more examples of the mp's ''perks'' |
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Mike Blais
SSM (NATO Bar), CPSM, UN-Cyp, CD
Ultimate 2000+ Member
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Gender:
Posts: 3376
A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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Oh man, Dave, it was always mucho expensive in Germany, remember the days of gas coupons? And the incredible savings therein.... I imagine, Terry, the same approach is being used in England, ie, tax the crap out of the juice so the population is forced to take either public transit to purchase dink mobiles... Frankly, I got no problem with that, what the hell, at least when it tax money it goes back to the people.
But here, as both the Libs and the New Conservatives (they like that term, being a new government even though its the second year of their mandate) have said, the tax in canada is fixed. And the equation has been incorporated into the equation and we are still getting smoked, in Ontario, for fifteen cents on the litre. Down east or West they are getting hosed for close to thirty cents.
On the litre.
Sometimes, methinks were a nation of lemmings... Were getting shafted big time, the government, supported by big oil moohla, dismisses the gouge out of hand, and we just roll over and fill their pockets with silver.
Bletch.
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
Pro Patria
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ranrad
Ron [Andy] Andrews
Ultimate 2000+ Member
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Welkl Mike and all, interestingly, as i went for my evening hoof around town,, here in Vernon, BC, the cost of diesel went down... a ful; 5 cents a liter.. ? Very strange .. gas here sits at $1.17.9 /l, and diesel now at 99.9/l.. and more strange when one considers that diesel is harder to extract per barrel of oil and there is less of per barrel..of course it is ONLY used for the transport industry , and comnmercial, and now a myriad of small trucks and even smaller cars...such as the VW Golf, which was getting 65 miles to the gal with gas...it seems to me that there is some kind of behind the scenes dickering to keep the cost of transport and commercial down... but it is most assuredly not in line with the real costs of getting that fuel to the pumps... ?something stinks here too.. What?? I think it saves six ways to Sunday for the very gas industry iteself... just in transport costs.....and to add to the sad story, diesel exhaust , dust and even raw fule that gets into our air... and right at breathing level on our streets, has been a known carcinogen since 1988... aint it strange that NO ONE in Gov has ever mentioned that fact... abd to add to the danger, when breathed in that "dust" goes right to the bottom of ones lungs....i do not even wonder what that is doing to our kids... whose lungs and organs are still growing....it is destroying them ... and of course every individuali is not as suscepible, but all young people are really at a terrible risk...wait for it...a lot of these kids will become our next medical crisis... is it worth it???ranrad |
RCAF,CAF, converted RCR?,1RCR 74-77 CD: SSM (Nato);CPSM,;UN-Cyp.; UN- Golan
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Donald
Veteran 400+ Member
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Posts: 430
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When you think about it from this perspective……..who can complain !!!!
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Subject: Fw: The price of Gas
All these examples do NOT imply that gasoline is cheap; they just illustrate how outrageous some prices are....
You will be really shocked by the last one! (At least, I was...)
Compared with Gasoline......
Think a gallon of gas is expensive?
This makes one think, and also puts things in perspective.
Diet Snapple 16 oz @ $1.29 .... $10.32 per gallon
Lipton Ice Tea 16 oz @ $1.19 ....$9.52 per gallon
Gatorade 20 oz @ $1.59 ... $10.17 per gallon
Ocean Spray 16 oz @ $1.25 ..... $10.00 per gallon
Brake Fluid 12 oz @ $3.15 .... $33.60 per gallon
Vick's Nyquil 6 oz @ $8.35 .... $178.13 per gallon
Pepto Bismol 4 oz @ $3.85 .... $123.20 per gallon
Whiteout 7 oz @ $1.39 .... $25.42 per gallon
Scope 1.5 oz @ $0.99/oz. .... $84.48 per gallon
And this is the REAL KICKER....
Evian water 9 oz @ $1.49......... $21.19 per gallon!
WOW!!! $21.19/ gal. for WATER and the buyers don't even know the source.
(Evian spelled backwards is Naive.)
Ever wonder why printers are so cheap? (this is true)
So they have you hooked for the ink.
Someone calculated the cost of the ink at................
(you won't believe it....but it is true........)
$5,200 a gal. (five thousand two hundred dollars)
So, the next time you're at the pump, be glad your car doesn't run on water, Scope, or Whiteout, Pepto Bismol, Nyquil or God forbid, Printer Ink!
Just a little humor to help ease the pain of your next trip to the pump...
And - If you don't pass this along to at least one person,
your muffler will fall off!!
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Mike Blais
SSM (NATO Bar), CPSM, UN-Cyp, CD
Ultimate 2000+ Member
Offline
Gender:
Posts: 3376
A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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Flip flop Harper.....
Harper says Ottawa not looking at cutting gas taxes
Updated Thu. May. 17 2007 5:43 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
Prime Minister Stephen Harper says his government is not looking at reducing gasoline taxes, despite a pledge first made in the 2004 election campaign.
The Conservatives changed that pledge in the last election, arguing broader tax relief by cutting the GST would be more effective.
Ottawa has since reduced the GST from seven per cent to six.
"We became convinced that, quite frankly, there was a limited amount we could do in terms of helping consumers specifically with gas prices," Harper said at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo, Ont.
"That's why, instead, we decided to cut consumption taxes more generally to help consumers in that way."
Harper has said the government will cut the GST by another point by 2011 at the latest.
"That puts a lot more money in consumers' pockets than a small cut in the gas tax," he said.
According to the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, taxes account for about 33 per cent of the price of gas at the pumps.
On top of that, GST is charged to the full price, including gas taxes, which makes it a tax-on-tax. For every 10-cent increase at the pumps, the government makes an increase of $175 million in GST revenues.
Harper blamed high gas prices on demand surpassing supply. He said a long-term solution would be to reduce the need for oil-based products, and urge consumers towards more sustainable fuels.
But he added he would not penalize drivers for buying gas.
"What we will not do is what the opposition has promised, and that's to bring in carbon taxes that would hike the price of gasoline by 60 per cent to be close to $2 a litre," he said.
On the same day as Harper spoke in Waterloo, an Ontario MPP introduced a private member's bill that would require retailers to give a 72-hour warning before raising pump prices.
Conservative MPP Joe Tascona said his bill grew out of the public's frustration with fluctuating prices and the high cost of gas.
Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty said the bill is "worthy of debate," and that he has asked Ottawa why prices appear to rise faster than they decrease.
With files from The Canadian Press
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
Pro Patria
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ranrad
Ron [Andy] Andrews
Ultimate 2000+ Member
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Somone started the latest "Dont gas your vehicle for one day " gizmo , and of course the night before the gas went up about 7 cents a litre...but people can have a very startling affect on the price but it would take firm and long term committment, from most ,if not all...if all peopl/ drivers were to not drive their personal vehicles , at all for one day oper week, the price would go down dramatically , and stay down....well, that is if we are actually getting the truth about the cost...this in itself will be hard for many, but not impossible in most cases i think....of course there would still be some who need to drive to get to work... but even that could be pooled amongst 2-4 people... see what that means .. 4 guys sharing means you drive your own car to work 1 day a week.....it can be done , but takes thinking and application... and dedication to just DO IT... hard, but very possible....something to think about.... what do you think?? ranrad
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RCAF,CAF, converted RCR?,1RCR 74-77 CD: SSM (Nato);CPSM,;UN-Cyp.; UN- Golan
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