Mr. Chair, let me just address the issue of eco-energy that my colleague raised. The government encourages energy efficiency for low income Canadians in a variety of ways, and $1 billion was included in budget 2009 to provide funds for renovation and energy retrofits for social housing up to 200,000 units. This new funding is flowing through the existing agreements administered by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation on a fifty-fifty cost share basis with provinces and territories, which are primarily responsible for providing social and low-income housing.
The government also supports low-income Canadians to energy retrofit their homes in collaboration with six provinces. Over 4,000 homes have received approved retrofit assessment and over 40 persons have been retrofitted to date, resulting in an energy savings of about $512 a year per household.