Thank you, Ron.
I will now give you an overview of our other recommendations.
First, there must be a sustained and long-term commitment to energy efficiency in Budget 2015. Aside from having a positive effect on household budgets, energy efficiency increases business and industry competitivity, aside from being a profitable way of reducing emissions.
The CEA recommends that Budget 2015 renew the funding of the Office of Energy Efficiency, so that it may continue to exercise leadership in that area.
Recommendation 2 is that Budget 2015 renew funding to continue R and D in areas that support the capabilities of modern grid infrastructure.
NRCan's office of energy research and development, the clean energy fund, and the ecoENERGY innovation initiative have been valuable tools for funding and advancing energy technology innovation, R and D, and demonstration projects in key areas. We would like this important work to continue.
The next recommendation is renewal of funding beyond 2015 for NRCan's climate change adaptation platform. The adaptation platform is a forum for collaboration on climate change adaptation priorities, and it equips decision-makers and key industries with tools and information.