Environment committee  I'm sorry. My name is Michael Martin. I'm the Assistant Deputy Minister of Strategic Policy at Environment Canada.

Environment committee  Yes, that is correct.

Environment committee  No, we have not.

Environment committee  No.

Environment committee  Mr. Chairman, I said earlier I would defer to the Department of Finance on the mechanics of how funds are being transferred to the trust fund.

Environment committee  My understanding is that the funds will be placed in the trust and that provinces will draw on the trust at their own discretion. Again there, I would defer to the Department of Finance to clarify what the precise mechanics have been with regard to disbursements under the trust fund.

Environment committee  Mr. Chair, again, I believe the trust will be established under the authority of the Budget Implementation Act. On exactly what arrangements have been made or are in place now, I would have to defer to the Department of Finance, which is managing that.

Environment committee  Mr. Chairman, I'm not familiar with all the details of that project. The purpose, of course, is to provide cleaner forms of electricity and help communities move away from diesel. This is actually a very significant challenge in rural Canada, particularly in northern Canada and in northern parts of provinces across the country.

Environment committee  Mr. Chair, I think it is important to define metrics around any program area, any policy initiative. The investments the government has made, as I said at the outset, are intended to complement the regulatory regime and are intended to drive behavioural and, particularly, technological change.

Environment committee  Mr. Chair, I think that has been identified by the province as an issue for funding under the trust fund. Of course, any such facility will also be impacted by the regulatory regime. If there is adaptation of the facility required, these funds may well serve to support that goal.

Environment committee  Mr. Chairman, it is very important for Canadians to understand and to know about the actions of the Government of Canada in this area. As I stated earlier, the behaviour and the actions of individual Canadians, individual citizens, has an enormous impact on greenhouse gases and air pollutant emissions.

Environment committee  I know Denis Simard; he is an official with the Communications office.

Environment committee  Mr. Chair, just to add, in terms of specific programs, of course there are criteria on effectiveness of programs that are developed when those programs are implemented. It's difficult to speak in general terms about the effectiveness of specific programs. In terms of this government, as I stated at the outset, the new programming that has been announced is intended to be targeted and to complement the regulatory agenda of the government.

Environment committee  The funding for the trust fund is being drawn from funds in the 2006-07 fiscal year.

Environment committee  Mr. Chairman, I would have to defer to the Department of Finance, as I said earlier, in terms of exactly what the technical arrangements are related to the transfer of those funds. They're not handled by Environment Canada; it is a Department of Finance arrangement, and they would be best placed to answer that question.