NDP will cap gas pump prices

When it comes to budgeting for the family and for business Nipissing NDP candidate Henri Giroux says the price of gas is a hardship for everyone in the riding.

“Doesn’t it seem that every time you turn around they’ve (gas prices) gone up again,” he asks during a news event Friday morning.

“How is a family supposed to budget their life or even their vacation when they don’t know how much they’ll pay at the pump.”

“How can a small business in our community, a tradesman for example, make a realistic budget for their business when they don’t even know from one day to the next how much money they need for gas.”

Giroux says the price of gas has been an election issue for some time now with governments and parties refusing to act, but today he said that the guessing game would end as an NDP government would cap skyrocketing gas pump prices and to remove the HST from gasoline.

“I am here today to tell the people of Nipissing that after October 6th a new government led by Andrea Horwath will be the first time in Ontario history, that will regulate and control gas pump prices,” Giroux states.

“We will instruct the Ontario Energy Board to set and enforce a gas price ceiling every week to protect you at the pump.”

Giroux says this kind of gas regulation is unprecedented in Ontario.

“By setting a ceiling it will ensure that you know what price will be all week. It’s a practical way to protect all of us from all too common unpleasant surprise at the pump.”

He says this is especially important in the north where public transit isn’t an option for many who depend on their vehicles every day.

He says an NDP government will also remove the HST from gasoline by 1% each year.

Giroux says price regulation on gas has been an effective measure for the people in Nova Scotia and the other Maritime provinces.

He concluded by noting that the NDP is the only party that will put a ceiling on gas pump prices.

“Let’s be clear despite all the big talk by Mr. Hudak and Mr. Fedeli about the HST, it is only the NDP will act by taking it off gasoline.”