Constitutionally speaking, Canada's 10 provinces are really their own separate jurisdictions. We have 10 different stories about electricity across the country. The electricity situation of P.E.I. is as remote from the electricity situation of Alberta or B.C., or even its neighbouring provinces, as it is from many U.S. states. Each province has to find its own way. Some have public utilities. Some have private utilities. Some have hybrid markets.
One factor we all have in common is that the forces of technology change that are going on in the energy space are global forces. They're not restricted to individual jurisdictions.
I'm very optimistic about the future for a small, compact, distributed generation from natural gas-fired cogeneration, an opportunity that has a significant potential to bring electricity supply to a more local dimension, and which has the economic potential to really blow away future centralized generation.
You spoke specifically about provinces that have energy deficiencies. One example is P.E.I. They're not self-sufficient in electricity supply. It's far more cost-effective for them to trade extensively with their neighbours and to obtain the bulk of their electricity supply from their neighbours. There's a situation where interties are just a critical resource.
Again, what is the federal government's role in all of this? Bringing parties together and encouraging them to find efficiencies to assist their local ratepayers is an appropriate role, but building their transmission systems goes far beyond an appropriate role for the federal government.