New Democrats say inaccurate gas pump readings have cost Canadian drivers hundreds of millions of dollars over the last 12 years, and that the money should be reimbursed.
Peter Julian, MP for Burnaby-New Westminster, says drivers have paid an estimated $240 million in undelivered gas since 1999 thanks to faulty pumps – and the Conservative government is dragging its feet fixing the problem.
"The government wants Canadians to wait another year before they will take action on inaccurate gas pump measurements," Julian said. "This is completely funfair."
The NDP estimates Canadians will have paid another $20 million for what it calls "phantom gas" by the time new protections are implemented.
The Conservatives' Fairness at the Pumps Act, introduced in April 2010, will be increasing pump inspections and raising violation fines to $10,000 for a first offence and as much as $50,000 for repeats.
But Ontario MP Brian Masse says the act will have taxpayers footing the bill for additional inspections – which he says could run millions of dollars annually – instead of charging the industry.
"When you go to the grocery store and you spend $100 on groceries, you wouldn't expect that you'd have five to six per cent taken from you," Masse said. "You wouldn't put up with that, and that's what's happening in this industry."
The NDP is pushing for the gas industry to return the money collected from faulty pumps, pay for inspections and for the government to create an Oil and Gas Ombudsman.
If the industry does not want to pay, Masse said the government can simply cancel the approximately $1 billion it receives in annual subsidies.
New Democrats have set up a petition to the House of Commons. It can be accessed here.
