Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you very much for your presentation.
I enjoyed the visit to Syncrude, in Fort McMurray. I learned a great deal, but I came away from the visit with several questions in my mind.
Every day the newspapers tell us that today's planetary challenge, namely climate change and its effects on the entire planet, is important. As parliamentarians, and as elected representatives, it behooves us, in the context of our study on the oil sands, to adopt not a short-term approach, but one that looks out onto the next thirty years. We must, given all of the development activity going on at present in Alberta, ask ourselves what is going to happen in Quebec, in the other provinces and in Canada.
Alberta can choose to risk seeing its groundwater polluted or choose to cut its trees: these are areas that fall under its jurisdiction. However, what is having an effect on everyone, throughout Canada and all across the planet, are the greenhouse gases that are spewed out into the atmosphere.
A Shell Canada representative, by the name of Janet, I believe, told us that CO2 captation and sequestration technology already exists, but that it is not being applied because it is not economical. This same representative stated that, in her view, this technology might become operational around the year 2012.
I would obviously like you to explain to me exactly what this woman was implying when she stated that this technology is not economical. Given the profits that are flowing to the oil companies that are active in the oil sands, as taxpayers, we are somewhat shocked to hear say that technology that would allow for a considerable reduction in greenhouse gas emissions is not being used because it is not economical.
Mr. Seeley might be able to answer my question.