Natural Resources committee  Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for the opportunity to speak about the Fraser Institute's research pertaining to energy security and how it relates to the committee's study. I understand that the study includes reviewing the r

Natural Resources committee  The position of the Fraser Institute would be that regulation that is needed is important and protection of the environment is important. That's the bottom line. Regulation, however, needs to be as efficient as possible and needs to be changed in accordance with technologies and

Natural Resources committee  Yes. On the question of subsidies, certainly the Fraser Institute position would be that subsidies on all forms of energy should be removed so that there's a level playing field and resources, including renewable resources, get developed on their economic merit. Is that suffici

Natural Resources committee  To examine the benefits of increased hydroelectric development in Quebec and compare that to the benefits of shale gas development, the two options, two possibilities, for reducing the dependence on imported crude oil into eastern Canada, is not something we've done at the Fraser

Natural Resources committee  It would be an interesting study to do, yes.

Natural Resources committee  I think in my remarks looking at non-market barriers, I was simply observing that if we have, and where we have, land claims issues, we need to resolve those. I think a greater effort needs to be made to ensure that they are resolved in a reasonable amount of time; otherwise the

Natural Resources committee  I think if we have a group of individuals who oppose development, then it's up to the local government to determine the best way to go ahead and to try to get the parties together to resolve a solution. We've seen different approaches in recent years. For example, with the Mack

Natural Resources committee  I'm not an engineer or a technologist, but if a jurisdiction decides that it needs to go more slowly than some of the neighbouring jurisdictions that have shale gas potential, the gas will stay in the ground, and someday it may be worth more money.

Natural Resources committee  Yes.

Natural Resources committee  You're referring to shale gas in particular?

Natural Resources committee  When you say “we invest”, do you mean government incentives?

Natural Resources committee  I don't think there's a role for government incentives. If, economically speaking, it should be developed, let the risk takers determine that.

Natural Resources committee  Yes. It's the government's role to set the framework, to ensure that if you want shale gas to go ahead, the royalties are competitive. There will be, and there are, environmental concerns. If the government wants to have shale gas developed, then it's up to the government to de

Natural Resources committee  Certainly, I wouldn't argue for no government at all. You need government. Governments have a role to play. But in terms of resource development, you have to listen to the people, to what's best for the people of Quebec and Canada, and have the regulations in place that are requi

Natural Resources committee  Those six that I identified were the main areas. Did you want me to drill down into the NEB situation a little more?