Today Stephen Harper has staked out his positions on protecting the consumer. There a measures to stop unsolicited emails, unsolicited text messages, and dishonest gas pumps.
It is strong, realistic protection of for the consumer. Other then cutting taxes, there is nothing the government can do to influence the price of gas. Regardless of what Layton and Dion say. Oil and gas is a world commodity. Over their mandate the Conservative Government has reduced the price of gas by decreasing the GST. There is little room left in the budget to reduce it more.
Since the Conservatives cannot influence the price of gas all they can really do is make sure their is no collusion among gas companies and that the pumps work properly. All measures the Conservatives are doing now and will expand on.
An Ottawa newspaper reported on some short-changing, and noted that Measurement Canada inspection found that at 30 per cent of stations, one pump would fail inspection, pumping 3 to 4 per cent less fuel than claimed at the pump's meter.
Mr. Harper's broader proposal to stiffen penalties for anti-competitive practices like price-fixing would apply to all companies, but it too, appears designed to appeal to the many who feel that gas companies are setting artificially high prices.
“These measures would apply to gas retailers who could be said to be in price-rigging circumstances,” said Industry Minister Jim Prentice. “Such claims are very difficult to prove and we are amending the legislation so they would be easier to prove.”
Their SPAM position is less interesting, most SPAM originates outside of Canada, but their proposal will allow us to work with other countries on the annoyance of SPAM. Canada is the only G8 nation without a mechanism for dealing with SPAM.
Conservative minister Diane Ablonczy said in a conference call with reporters that the government is looking to contract with a private company to operate an email “freezer,” where Canadians could forward their spam to be reviewed, and when appropriate, investigated. She said police would investigate the complaints.
She said the law would apply to only spam that comes from Canada. While much of it originates in foreign countries, creating a legal regime here would allow Canada to take part in international spam-prosecution agreements.
And he also said the Conservative, if re-elected, would ban telephone companies from charging for unsolicited commercial text messages.
This is good for consumers, but not terribly Conservative of them. What's next? Outlawing ATM fees? I guess it is hard to change your cell phone provider when you are locked into multi-year plans with annoying out clauses.
We're better off with Harper.
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