Harmonization of standards is a critical issue. This is not a simple thing for us, partly because.... For example, right now we seeing one state in the United States that is unilaterally trying to impose a standard in the Great Lakes. This is a serious problem because it has an impact on the Canadian marine industry, but also for the United States as well.
So how do we actually work with the United States so that the regulations that we pass--and that they pass--allow trade to happen? That is a critical part of our work.
We have a number of environmental programs, which are in our documents. For example, in the year this report was done, the department worked on the eco-auto rebate program. We spent $191 million, and there were purchases of 170,000 fuel-efficient cars. Canadians were helped with that.
We have demonstration programs for clean energy for vehicles. We have done 57 demonstration programs that are simply showing people that there are alternatives out there. Some of it this only a matter of acceptance and understanding.
We have an eco-freight program, in which we are moving on sustainable transportation for smaller-scale projects.
Can we do more? Probably. A lot more can be done on the environmental issues in transport, but we keep on working at it.
For example, on the marines issues, oil spills are a big deal for us. We have upgraded our Dash 7 airplanes—I think that's what they are—and basically we fly patrols over Canada's oceans to determine where the oil spills are and where they are coming from. We actually have an inspection and overview function in Transport Canada, which is critical.