Thanks, Chair. I'll do the best I can. I hope my voice will hold out. I'm just going to ask my questions up front while I still can, and hope I'll use up the five minutes.
Mr. Facette, I have questions for you. First of all, I have a personal interest question. I have a lot of constituents who live off the natural gas grid and use propane and so on for the heating of their homes. I've never understood why propane, which comes from natural gas feedstock, whether it's ethane, methane, butane, whatever the case might be, is tied to the price of oil instead of to the price of natural gas. The price differential on those two creates a real issue for those consumers who rely on propane to heat their houses. When natural gas prices go down, those of us connected to natural gas see the benefit of that in our bill, but propane users don't. I'd like some clarification on that because I'm not sure I understand it.
The other question I have for you is about rail. You talked about a lack of cars, but as an Alberta MP I'm also concerned that if we use our rail system and increase the number of cars, whether it be for oil, natural gas, or propane, I can't send my farmers' wheat down a pipeline. I can't send my lumber companies' two-by-fours down a pipeline, but I can send all these other things from the oil and gas sector down a pipeline. I'm very concerned about that. I'd like to hear the concerns of your organization on that.
Brenda, way out back home in Alberta, could you just explain to us the importance of each of the pipeline areas for diversification. Whether it's east-west, Line 9, TransCanada's proposal, or Gateway and Kinder Morgan out to the west coast, or Keystone to the south, what does each of these actually mean as far as market diversification for Alberta or Canadian energy in general is concerned?
Thanks.