Thanks, Mr. Chair.
I want to start by first of all thanking Mr. Bulkowski for taking the time to appear today. It's regrettable that these sessions are all held during the day, which precludes most workers, caregivers, and youths, who are in school, from presenting. I am recommending and encouraging this committee to consider having evening sessions in the future.
I don't agree with everything you say, Mr. Bulkowski, but I think your first point is absolutely laudatory and is the most important one. You're recommending documented, publicized, and publicly available reports on tax deductions, expenditures, federal transfers, crown corporations, and NGO benefits for accountability. I commend you for that. It is something that our party certainly supports.
I want to go to the architecture association and follow up on the chair's point. This summer in Edmonton, specifically on that point, I kick-started an initiative called Greening the Avenue. In Edmonton, we are very proud of our heritage buildings. I and many others worked for many years to preserve the last of the heritage buildings in the city, especially in Old Strathcona.
The problem now is energy costs. I'm happy to say that the Heritage Canada conference just a few weeks ago centred specifically on how to retrofit heritage buildings. In Britain, they've passed new building codes whereby they have to retrofit all their buildings, so if you can retrofit buildings built during the time of William the Conqueror, surely buildings from 1910 or the 1950s could be.
I would like to hear a little more from you about your proposal on the connections between heritage buildings. Are you equally proposing that there be support for energy retrofitting and energy efficiency, not just building new buildings?