Hughes Concerned With Gas Price Rises
GAS PRICES DRIVING UP INFLATION BAD NEWS FOR NORTHERN ONTARIO: HUGHES
Algoma-Kapuskasing-Manitoulin MP Carol Hughes
hughesGasPricesDec8EN1 (CLICK to hear Hughes at Question Period)
hughesGasPricesDec8EN2 (CLICK to hear Hughes at Quesion Period #2)
OTTAWA, ON – Gas prices are rising again and the HST is contributing to the pain consumers are feeling across Northern Ontario. That’s the message Carol Hughes gave the government today in question period.
With gas prices cutting deeper into the cost of living, people across the North are feeling the sting of the HST every time they fill up.
“In Kapuskasing, the price of gas at the pump this week has skyrocketed to $1.22 a litre,” said Hughes. “All over Northern Ontario, the high cost of transportation is stretching family budgets to the breaking point.”
The HST has added 8% to the price at the pump, which had risen steadily since the tax was introduced in July before taking a sudden jump this week. For northern and rural Canadians who rely on their vehicles more, this tax is cutting right to the bone.
“When will this government finally take responsibility for the HST fiasco and when will they take action on soaring gas prices that impact greatly communities like those in rural and northern Ontario,” asked Hughes.
Gas costs, which have gone up 8.8% in two months, contributed to driving up consumer prices as the annual inflation rate in Canada hit a two-year high in November. Ontario reported the highest jump in prices among all provinces.
