Mr. Speaker, when we as parliamentarians pontificate about energy and about this proposed small tax reduction for those companies that produce energy, we should try to keep it in perspective.
I am sure no one in the country cheered when the power went out a couple of months ago. No one said that it should be left off so it does not pollute the air. That did not happen at all. Everybody was clamouring for the power to be restored. Canadians are privileged to have such massive amounts of energy available at such a reasonable price.
I would like to point out to parliamentarians that a reduction in tax rates does not necessarily mean a reduction in revenue. It is a very simple product. We can sell more for less per unit and actually get more money, and hence more revenue for the government. This is not a tax break that will take away revenue for other programs but will in fact increase revenue.
We also need to think about the magnitude of the energy problem.
I remember one day when I was driving my motorcycle and, like an idiot, I ran out of gas. Instead of my motorcycle carrying me, I had to push my motorcycle to the next service station. I then realized how much energy that little motor cranked out because I was huffing and puffing like an old man by the time I reached the gas station. It took a lot of energy just at walking speed to move that bike, whereas the bike moves me up to 100 kilometres an hour or faster, but I will not go any faster. We have no idea of the quantity of our energy.
I would like the member to respond about the total energy picture and the fact that we are efficiently converting our natural resources into energy in huge volumes.