The House of Commons Industry Committee (CIC) adjourned without calling Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne to answer for claims he would cut cellphone rates, according to Blacklock’s Reporter. “Liberals promised the prices would go down and they are actually going up,” said Conservative MP Rick Perkins (South Shore-St. Margarets, NS) at a meeting. Rogers announced prices on some plans would rise by up to $108 per year effective Wednesday. Perkins said telecommunications executives were “ignoring what this government said about reducing prices.”Rogers disclosed the price hikes to Global News on January 4. It followed cabinet’s approval of Rogers’ $26 billion takeover of Shaw if it lowered prices. “This committee needs to have urgent hearings with these players as to why they said a year ago we should trust them and prices would go down and now they have done the opposite,” said Perkins. “Canadians want this gouging to stop.”He sponsored a motion asking the CIC study the impact of the merger between Rogers and Shaw with testimony from Champagne. Liberal MP Ryan Turnbull (Whitby, ON) said cabinet will do a more fulsome study at a later date. “This is like going around in circles,” said Conservative MP Michelle Ferreri (Peterborough-Kawartha, ON). “It is super frustrating.”When the merger happened, Ferreri said Canadians were promised cellphone bills would not go up. Champagne had made this promise. “It is front page news,” said Ferreri. “They’re going up.”The CIC agreed to meet by request of opposition MPs to consider hearings into cellphone rates on Thursday. READ MORE: MPs summon Commons Industry Committee into special session about cellphone rates“Canadians have been very, very clear with me,” said Champagne. “We pay way too much for telecom services and we want more options, full stop.”
