Let me move beyond the speculation, with the greatest of respect, and let me inform the committee, as I'm sure it already understands, that approximately 95% of the NEB's funding is from costs recovered from the energy industry. The majority of the funds used for compliance and oversight activities will help ensure the safety and security of energy infrastructure. Part of this funding will also be used to help deploy staff across Canada to engage more closely with local communities and partners such as first responders and municipal governments.
We obviously understand completely the higher profile, and rightly so, and the desire of first nation communities and municipalities to be engaged in energy infrastructure projects that may impact them. The resources are in place to ensure that the National Energy Board has the capacity, including the human resources, to meet existing and new demands over the next five years.