November 24, 2008 – New Democrats are first to raise alarm bells over Canadians being gouged by outrageous credit card rates in the face of recession.

March 27, 2009 – A nationwide poll shows a whopping 82 per cent of Canadians with credit cards support tighter rules for the credit industry.

April 27, 2009 – Listening to Canadians, New Democrats pass a motion in Parliament calling on the Harper government to protect consumers from credit card gouging. The New Democrat plan calls for legislation to end abusive fees and interest rate hikes, while protecting young people and those who pay their bills on time. A majority of MPs vote in support of the New Democrats.

May 8, 2009 – Harper’s Conservatives introduce their own credit card reform, which turns out to be little more than an information campaign to better show Canadians just how much they are getting gouged. 

June 30, 2009 – Liberal and Conservative senators release a committee report recommending that consumers have their pockets picked even further. The report suggests that merchants be allowed to charge an extra fee to consumers who use ‘premium’ credit cards.  

October 27, 2009 – The deadline for action set out in the New Democrat credit card motion comes and goes with no commitment from Harper’s Conservatives. Consumers are again left out in the cold by a government that puts banks and credit card companies first.

November 19, 2009 – The Conservative government once again sides with its corporate friends by announcing a toothless voluntary ‘code of conduct’ for credit and debit card industries that does nothing for consumer protection.

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