Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We’ve been seeing the decrease in the markets in fuel prices; it’s now below $80 a barrel. Yet in our communities we continue to pay exorbitant amounts for fuel. In Aklavik they’re paying, right now, $1.76 a litre, and it supposedly went up by 3 cents. If anything, you’d think it would have come down.
As the government we also have a responsibility to protect our consumers to ensure there’s not price gouging and to realize that there has been emerging a decline in the price of fuel and the effects it does have in regard to our economy: power rates, operating and maintaining a home, being able to run your vehicles and operating your equipment.
Mr. Speaker, I think it’s important that this government does consider looking at the possibility of bringing in legislation that will be able to control, monitor and also, in some cases, restrict these types of increases from taking place. On one hand, they tell you the market is based on the world economy, yet when a barrel of fuel drops to less than $80 a barrel, we continue to see fuel prices going up. I believe there is something wrong with that picture.
I think, Mr. Speaker, it’s important that we as a government protect the residents of the Northwest Territories from outside sources by way of our dependency on fuel from other parts of the Northwest Territories. It will be a tough year for people in the Northwest Territories. I believe we bought our fuel at the high end in regard to this summer’s resupply for fuel for power plants for communities to maintain our homes and our communities.
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
