Public Accounts committee  My colleague reminds me that it was an NRCan program.

Public Accounts committee  Well, the Minister of Natural Resources Canada is Mr. Lunn, but those decisions--

Public Accounts committee  Mr. Chairman, I have no knowledge of any such policy being included in the sustainable development strategies. However, it is an interesting idea. On the side of broader government environmental policy, I think it would not relate to the operations of departments to decide what kind of support to extend through the tax system or....

Public Accounts committee  Mr. Chairman, I will answer the part of the question that I can within my limits, if I may. There are two points I could make. In the report of the commissioner with respect to sustainable development strategies, the recommendation is made for a comprehensive report by October of this year on the issue of the coordination of SD strategies, including the issues of what I might call organization and governance.

Public Accounts committee  I will verify the veracity of my answer, Chairman, and we will examine whether there are documents that could be shared with the committee, as you say.

Public Accounts committee  I would have to verify the nature of the documentation and whether it is in the public domain or not.

Public Accounts committee  Mr. Chairman, officials would have advised ministers, whether on Treasury Board or on other cabinet committees, about the evidence available. And as normally happens, ministers would have made those decisions. Much of that, I'm assuming, Mr. Chair, would be cabinet confidences.

Public Accounts committee  With respect to the data, my understanding is that the last year for which we had data on the reductions was 2005...2003-04 was the last year of the data. I do not know today what further progress has been made en route to that target. With respect to the decisions about programming by government, those of course were decisions made by ministers in terms of the overall fiscal plan and programming.

Public Accounts committee  For that particular program, that's right.

Public Accounts committee  Mr. Chairman, what I think I said—certainly my intention—was in reference to Mr. Lussier's question about the specific program, the federal house in order program. That's what I was referring to. In fact, I think there would not have been any formal decision to change or terminate that target.

Public Accounts committee  The program, as I understand it, was given five-year funding, which was due, in terms of parliamentary appropriations, to sunset. That is what happened, as I understand it, to the program.

Public Accounts committee  There is no program that has specifically been given that kind of title or program objective, but the policy objectives my colleague has spoken of, in terms of procurement and so on, continue through the normal funding of the government departments involved.

Public Accounts committee  Well, I think, Mr. Chairman, that goes to the heart of the issue that government departments have before them, which has been outlined in the commissioner's report. As my colleague from Public Works has said, that is precisely what we need to be grappling with in terms of the measures that are appropriate, and where the targets and regulatory action should be, and so on.

Public Accounts committee  I can answer that. The federal house in order program was originally established for a period of time with set funding, and it was one of the sunsetted programs, if I can use that common terminology. It was a decision by the government of the day to follow through on the sunset schedule for that program.

Public Accounts committee  Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. As my colleague from Public Works and Government Services has just said, the Department of the Environment and other departments are engaged with them in clarifying the roles and responsibilities having to do with greening government operations.