I am finding it a little difficult to understand your logic. You say that in any event, we are an oil exporter. You know, however, that oil is not a renewable energy source. Sometimes there are situations in which we think that previous governments should have taken action and done something a few years ago to avoid the situation we now find ourselves in.
Because oil is not a renewable energy source, we are going to have to consider alternatives at some point. We have to recognize that there are numerous countries that already have a head start on us in terms of renewable energy, including Europe, Brazil and the United States. I think that reducing our dependence on oil is beneficial not only for the economy but also for the environment.
In my opinion, if we do nothing, we will one day be dependent on the world market situation and what is happening at that point. As well, we may no longer have those resources. We have to think about developing them now, and obviously choose the right ones. What I understand from the commission's report, and it is being talked about a lot in Quebec, at least, is that what has to be done is to emphasize developing renewable energy like biomass — agricultural and forestry residues. That may also interest Mr. Toews. There is also a lot of discussion of slaughterhouse residues. I understand that our livestock producers' main purpose is to produce food, but there may be a market there that would be worthwhile for them.