The federal government created Canada-wide programs to develop biomass in remote areas. They were implemented four or five years ago, but with mixed success. A few projects were brought forward. In fact, there was a recent news report that described a dozen projects that are being carried out across Canada.
There is a need to enhance these programs and increase their impact, particularly in remote areas. However, they could also be applied in areas that are not remote. I understand that the federal government has an interest in developing indigenous communities and very remote regions, but there are other regions of Canada that could also benefit. I told you about the Maritimes, where there is a high percentage of oil use. In Quebec, we still burn, year in and year out, close to a billion litres of heating oil; remote regions are certainly not the only areas where this is done.
Existing programs that support initiatives to convert heating systems to biomass should no doubt be enhanced. This conversion is the main barrier to biomass use as it represents a relatively large capital cost. Therefore, we need help to convert existing heating systems to biomass.
If the goal is to reduce greenhouse gases by 35%, 40%, 50% or even 100% by 2050, we must start now to change heating systems, which have a life span of 25 to 30 years. We must immediately begin to replace these systems with others that do not use fossil fuels.