Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to have the opportunity to take part in this debate. There are few issues that Canadians care about as much as the price of gas, except, perhaps, the weather. Whether it is at the office or at the local eatery, everyone talks about it. Everyone has a theory on why the price of gas is so high. Governments are blamed, both Canadian and foreign, and oil companies are also accused.
Canadians are entitled to ask themselves questions and to be upset. After all, these high prices hit everyone of us where it hurts the most, that is in our wallet.
The new Government of Canada is committed to helping Canadians reduce their gas consumption, and thus save money and protect the environment. We think it is possible to achieve real progress regarding the environment, without jeopardizing our growth.
However, that is not the Bloc Québécois' way of doing things. It cannot do anything constructive. In fact, the Bloc Québécois voted for a plan that will increase gas prices, a plan that will add to the tax burden of Canadian families. According to leading economists, the Liberal plan would trigger a 50% increase in hydro costs. As for the costs of heating homes with natural gas, they would basically double from what they are right now.
However, the debate must go beyond laying blame and throwing accusations. Increasingly, Canadians have the desire and the determination to act individually to fight price increases, and our government is helping them make informed energy choices.
The public is receptive. In a survey conducted last fall, three out of four respondents said they were very or quite interested in receiving information on how to reduce their energy consumption at home or on the road. We can do many things to reduce the impact of the price increase. The government is also taking many initiatives, and this is what I want to stress today.
The price of gas is not the only factor that has an impact on our energy costs; there is also the way we drive. The government has published on the Internet a whole range of useful tips on buying, driving and maintaining a vehicle, tips that can help Canadians save money and gas while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. These tips include respecting the speed limit since driving at 100 kilometres an hour instead of 120 kilometres an hour increases fuel efficiency by 20%; planning one's travel; using public transit as much as possible; avoiding idling; and ensuring that tires are properly inflated.
Our energy efficiency programs help people save energy and reduce their costs as well as their greenhouse gas emissions. These programs can also reduce air pollution and make Canadian businesses and industries more competitive. They also contribute to the safety and reliability of our energy network by reducing the demand for energy.
Our energy efficiency programs target all sectors of our economy: real estate, industry, transportation and people. They are based on partnerships, which means that we get more value for the money invested by the federal government when we work with other partners. These programs also provide tools and networks to which the provinces, territories and public utilities can add value or which they can use to meet the objectives of their own regional energy efficiency programs.
We are using various approaches to offer our energy efficiency programs to Canadians. Our information programs advise energy consumers about the benefits of energy efficiency and renewable energy. They help people familiarize themselves with and accept the technologies and related practices, which leads to their use. Our voluntary action programs support efforts made by individuals to consume energy more efficiently by inviting flagship businesses in the private sector to show leadership and by encouraging them to set and meet energy efficiency targets.
We are using regulations that set minimum performance standards in order to eliminate less energy efficient products from the market. Through better management of our fleet and strategic purchasing that draws on green energy, we are teaching by example and showing Canadians that we can demonstrate leadership on the energy efficiency front. Significant improvements in energy efficiency in all sectors of the economy are directly attributable to our programs.
Canada has more products subject to the Energy Efficiency Regulations than any other country. The last amendment to those regulations alone is expected to enable consumers to achieve net benefits totalling $47 million by the year 2010. Refrigerators that need only 25% of the energy consumed by a refrigerator in the 1970s are currently available on the market.
We support the construction of new ethanol production facilities, and this calls for major financial commitments by the private sector. This initiative will assist in expanding the production and use of ethanol fuel in Canada.
We are working with industry so that it can improve the energy performance of its activities, under the Canadian Industry Program for Energy Conservation, a unique industry-government partnership.
One day, that performance will play a key role in the concrete measures to be taken by the Government of Canada to ensure that we all enjoy clean air, uncontaminated land, clean water and clean energy. Concrete results lie at the heart of what our government is committed to delivering.
It is important that Canadians conserve energy by improving energy efficiency in everything they do, whether in operating a business, driving a car or building a house. Improved energy performance makes absolute sense in both economic and environmental terms.
Energy conservation and performance are important components of any realistic and effective Canadian solution for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in a sensible way for all Canadians. To accomplish this, we must coordinate our efforts. All levels of government, whether federal, provincial or municipal, must be involved, and industry and communities must fall into step.
Although we know where the limits to our powers lie, we also know that by working together we can achieve much greater success than by working alone, each of us in our own corner. I hope that the House will agree with me that a new era of cooperation between the federal and provincial governments on natural resource policies will provide Canadians with unprecedented prosperity.
The development of new technologies is one of the primary areas where we can join forces. Innovative and ground-breaking technologies are the key to Canada's future when it comes to natural resources. The natural resources industry is a high tech industry, and it is Canada's technologies and know-how that have made Canadian business so competitive on the world market. The truth of this can be seen in the resource exploitation technologies that Canada supplies to the rest of the world.