As far as the alignment between Canada and the U.S. is concerned, I suggest that there has been progress. If there is a concern, it is that, perhaps, where the United States was leading Canada in driving energy efficiency minimum performance standards ever upward, Canada was lagging behind for many years. Now Canada is aligned, but poised to move ahead, which we might all celebrate. Because of the policy context within the United States, it doesn't appear that there's the same commitment now to driving energy efficiency levels up.
Our concern for our manufacturers is that they manufacture a product for a North American market, and they don't relish the idea of delivering different products into different sectors.
The problem, as I suggested, is exacerbated when we see provincial governments competing with one another—and I don't want to exaggerate the problem—to be the best within the Confederation and to say, “We have the highest standards.”
In Manitoba, a number of years ago, the minimum efficiency level for furnaces was set at 90%, and Manitoba decided they should set it at 94% AFUE, just to be better. That meant that manufacturers had to deliver specific products just for that market, and it's a very small market. That creates inefficiencies in the manufacturing and distribution world.
There's a reason for optimism under the Canadian Free Trade Agreement. There is a commitment to align standards within Canada under a process called the regulatory reconciliation and co-operation table, including building codes and a variety of energy efficiency standards. We have reason to be optimistic, but as I said, there's work to do.