Environment committee  We will certainly pass that request on to the Department of Finance, sir, yes.

Environment committee  Mr. Chairman, as I think we stated earlier, these funds are subject to the Budget Implementation Act passage. Again, I would defer to the Department of Finance in terms of exactly what kinds of transactions have taken place up until now.

Environment committee  These funds will be transferred to a trustee. The amounts and the initiatives they are intended to support have been publicly announced. As I said, the trustee arrangements can be described by the Department of Finance, but as I stated earlier, there is no MOU or other contractual arrangement between the federal government and the provinces covering the fund beyond that which is managed through the trustee arrangement.

Environment committee  Mr. Chairman, to my recollection, when the trust fund was first announced, the Prime Minister laid out, in his public statement, the criteria that would guide the fund. He described its purposes. He described the types of projects that would be supported. In each successive announcement that was done in partnership with each province and territory, the terms and purposes of the fund, and the specific projects that would be potentially supported with these funds, were described.

Environment committee  Mr. Chairman, a number of the government's initiatives are intended to provide Canadians with information and tools to make good choices, and also to improve their energy efficiency and reduce the environmental footprint of their own lifestyles. The individual choices of Canadians are an absolutely critical driver of Canada's performance in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutants, and a range of these programs are indeed targeted to assist them in that regard.

Environment committee  Mr. Chairman, there is activity now in British Columbia to take sawmill scrap and wood that has been infested with the pine beetle and use it as biomass for energy generation. The benefit of using biomass, clearly, is that it acts as a substitute for other less clean fuel sources and through its use serves to reduce greenhouse gas production.

Environment committee  Again, in this area the use of alternative fuel sources allows companies to substitute fossil fuels for cleaner fuel sources that reduce GHG emissions and also reduce air pollutant emissions. It provides greater independence for companies in terms of managing their costs and can serve to lower their overall energy consumption costs as well.

Environment committee  Mr. Chairman, as committee members know, transportation is a major source, and a growing source in many jurisdictions, of greenhouse gases. Emissions and of course transportation are a significant source of air pollution. The use of alternative fuels, including hydrogen, offers the potential to significantly reduce the environmental impact of transportation, and these types of initiatives that demonstrate these projects serve to promote the commercialization of the technology, increase consumer understanding and acceptance of them, and also stimulate this kind of research and development here in Canada.

Environment committee  Under the trust fund for clean air and climate change, $44.4 million has been committed to the province of Saskatchewan. When that funding was announced, a series of projects was indicated. That includes the continuing deployment of near-zero CO2 emission electrical generation projects and the development and utilization of renewable and alternative energy sources, such as biofuels and solar energy technologies.

Environment committee  Mr. Chairman, as I said, the arrangement between the federal government and the provinces is captured in the announcements around each agreement. There is no further arrangement beyond it that may relate to the technical transfer of the funds through the trust arrangement.

Environment committee  When each contribution or commitment was announced, a press release was issued in agreement with each province and territory, and in each case a list of possible initiatives that would be taken by the province or territory--

Environment committee  That's correct. But as you know, the provinces and the territories have a major role to play in greenhouse gas reductions and air emission reductions.

Environment committee  I think we can provide the summary of the programs that were indicated at the time the commitments were made. Ultimately the provinces and territories themselves will decide how to effectively use these funds—

Environment committee  —but the stated purpose of the trust is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution emissions, and in the case of the territories, support measures related to impacts and adaptation.

Environment committee  Mr. Chairman, I can't say. I certainly am not aware of any commitment or condition of that type. I think the principle behind the trust fund is that provinces have responsibilities in this area; they're exercising and putting in place their own plans. They are accountable to their electorates, and they are well placed to make good decisions in that regard; therefore, the federal government's contribution will be managed with those facts in mind.