Natural Resources committee  It's simply that the consumer will be driven to do more, knowing the program has come to an end.

Natural Resources committee  No, I think it's really a result of consumer uptake. They probably looked at their conversion rate at 40% to 42%, and I suspect it's going to go much higher than that. So as we approach the deadline, you will see consumers ramping up and making a last-ditch effort to make those improvements and to get the second audit done, so they can collect their rebate.

Natural Resources committee  My take is that they've underestimated the conversion rate on the uptake of the rebate program. If you look at the numbers right now, of the 800,000 audits that have been done, only 236,000 have actually taken time to do the second audit. That's the issue. I think it's going to approach closer to the 800,000.

Natural Resources committee  As soon as carbon has a price attached to it, then I think you'll see some dramatic changes here as well.

Natural Resources committee  In terms of it being a new program, I think the essence of the ecoENERGY program really hit the nail on the head. It may have been too aggressive in terms of its overall cost to the government—I can appreciate that—but I do think the cost of energy will ultimately prove to be the motivator.

Natural Resources committee  No, and the point that should be made is that Canada still has an extremely low cost of energy. When we hear of things being done in the European market and elsewhere, they're looking at a kilowatt charge of anywhere from 30¢ to 35¢, equivalent, whereas we're still sitting at 11¢ for a kilowatt.

Natural Resources committee  It definitely takes us away from what I'll call achieving some of our objectives in terms of energy efficiency and greenhouse gas reduction, so I would say it really is a bit of a blow to our international commitments for climate change. I am concerned.

Natural Resources committee  There is tremendous progress being made, in actual fact. We've seen the introduction of the Green Energy Act in Ontario, which has taken Ontario into a leadership role in terms of the energy efficiency of new homes. The incentives that have been developed for the electric cars are going to move Ontario tremendously towards a reduction in energy use when transportation is taken into account as well.

Natural Resources committee  I think that's a commitment the government has made, to continue to March 2011. I think they will see the economics of it come back in a positive way. This is only going to be a continued stimulus to the economy in a very positive light, providing the consumers with the savings they will reinvest in the economy as well.

Natural Resources committee  There are two issues. One is, I have already heard of a number of auditors being laid off or given notice that they will be laid off. We've also been talking to the colleges that are developing training programs. The question is whether we should be developing some of these training programs, if the opportunity for employment seems to be less when their students graduate.

Natural Resources committee  Fine. I'll move to a conclusion. The issue we face is that the federal government is looking at it as an expense, not as an investment. It should be viewed as an investment with significant returns. Energy efficiency is as important, even more so, than the automakers' bailout of a year ago, and energy efficiency will continue to repay over and over again, both in terms of jobs and a greener economy.

Natural Resources committee  Thank you very much, Mr. Tonks. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. I'm very sorry that I'm not able to be there with you this morning, but I've got a few other meetings this afternoon that I couldn't change. I'll give you just a brief overview of who I represent. The Canadian Energy Efficiency Alliance is a broad-based, not-for-profit organization.

Natural Resources committee  I can indeed, sir. Thank you very much.