One of the challenges we face in Canada is the fact that we have policy in all the different provinces and municipalities. So it is, at best, schizophrenic. Where the adoption of sustainable communities and renewable energy has really been successful from both an environmental and an economic point of view is where there is national leadership.
The one that everyone points to, and I'd be remiss not to, is Germany. Basically, Germany faced several challenges. They faced what they thought were environmental challenges. They had energy security issues and serious economic problems, so they took leadership. While they still have states within Germany and each of the states has different policies, the leadership came federally, so it's more coherent.
I think one of the largest challenges we face is the coherency issue. If you're going to embrace targets and all those things, how do you do it in a coherent manner? Can we get everybody to come to the table—at minimum, I would use the term “check your egos at the door”--and come together?
I think it can be done. I saw it in a small way in Ontario, and I think there is enough energy. There's a lot of excellent research available now, too, so it doesn't mean we always have to reinvent the wheel. There are some good ideas within Canada suitable to our climate and our particular situation. But in addition to that, a lot of people are ahead of us. We're kind of behind. So there's a lot to learn from and there are a lot of best practices to pick up from. I see a great opportunity for the federal government to lead, and I think it would be very popular.
I can only say as an aside that I was in the broadcasting and film industry for a long time. When I gave up that job, I thought my two sons would be disappointed because they'd lose their tickets to the Toronto Film Festival, but they actually think what I'm doing now is much cooler. So this is where the young people in Canada want us to go.