The President of Canadians for Affordable Energy says Saskatchewan residents aren’t the only ones experiencing sticker shock when they pull up to a gas pump.

Dan McTeague says Canadians need to stop being ashamed of what the country can produce.

“Ships can’t pass through Canadian waters, we can’t have that and we can’t build pipelines because somehow it will create some kind of variation in temperature. I think those arguements of 2015 are now completely out the window and as Canadians pay more than they can actually bargain for, for higher prices, its time to have a very serious adult discussion and reassment of our priorities.”

And McTeague says that would be getting more Canadian energy to market. He predicts these higher prices are going to be here for quite some time.

McTeague says the price for oil and for gasoline and diesel on the Chicago spot market shot up about 26 c/L in a short time frame earlier this week72 hours owing to a serious decline of gasoline and diesel. He explains that the Chicago spot market prices for all of the U.S. midwest and influences the price paid in Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba, most of central B.C. and even a slice of northwestern Ontario.

Meanwhile the opposition NDP again asked the provincial government during legislative debate Thursday what they were going to do to help residents deal with high gas prices after a sudden and dramatic increase in price on Wednesday. Premier Scott Moe responded saying that the NDP had been demanding more investment in Saskatchewan roads which are improved and repaired, he said, by using the gas tax.

Sixty-two per cent of respondents said “yes” to this week’s CJWW Newspoll question that asked do you want to see the provincial government eliminate the provincial gas tax to help offer some relief at the pump?