Thus, the market structure could be called competitive, but of limited and monopolistic competition. Despite the presence of government regulation, there are huge anomalies across the country, as the price of gas in Vancouver, for instance, is prohibitively high. The "oil companies claim price swings are market driven" but this cannot be fully the case, " considering that the prices move in unison with six big corporations separately involved in determining the price. Also, when one compares the price of crude oil in dollars per barrel with the United States, the trend upward is virtually the same, all other things being equal, "until the beginning of July" when the price of gas in some areas of Canada, such as Vancouver, grows much higher, and the prices in...

"Had the trend continued from July to August we should be paying about 37% more than we are as of August 22nd 2004. While the oil companies boast about self-regulation, fair play and deny cooperation in price fixing, further evidence shows that price fixing may be common with the Oil Companies in setting the price at the pump." (Cramer, 2004) Thus, Cramer alleges that oil companies are functioning as cartels, engaging in collusion, although the formal market structure is allegedly competitive.
Works Cited

Guy Cramer (25 August 2004) "Evidence of Price Fixing by Oil Companies?" Retrieved on 29 October 2004 at Gas Buddy http://www.yfiles.com/gasprices2.html