There are a number of elements to that. As you say, high energy prices are both a blessing and a curse, depending on where you sit. On the one hand, we've got to recognize, as Jay Myers was pointing out, that a lot of the fluctuation, the volatility, that we've seen in energy prices worldwide flows from the fact that a lot of the major producing regions are facing highly unstable situations. Canada has a competitive advantage in that sense, because not only are we next door to a major consuming market, but we're also remarkably reliable and stable as a country. That's a huge advantage for a country anywhere in the world that is looking for a long-term supply, not just the Americans. The fact that our oil sands are such a long-term resource is important in that regard too.
What does that mean in terms of domestic policy? Again, the fact is we've tried interventionist policies on that and we know they don't work. You mentioned the connection to environmental policy. Well, there's no better signal, whether to a business or to a consumer, to spend some money investing in better energy efficiency than letting the prices be high. I think we've got to keep in mind, even if your priority is a matter of policy, or we're trying to reduce emissions, pollutants, greenhouse gases, and so on, that high prices, however painful they may be, make a contribution to those goals.
When we talk about national objectives, we've got to define what particular problem we're trying to solve, because a lot of these pieces interlock, and what's a problem in one direction can be part of a solution in another.