Natural Resources committee  Well, my opinion about what the oil price could be is certainly not what the oil price has been. I'm going to guess that we're not likely to get much above $60 in the future and that this is going to be a world price for oil that will reflect the cost of extraction and processing

Natural Resources committee  The idea of a carbon tax provides a whole lot more certainty to industry. Even if it's projected to change, they can identify with what it tells them about the technologies or the procedures and processes they're using, whereas a cap and trade system—especially on something that

Natural Resources committee  As your chair pointed out, I've revealed my bias on where I think the centralizing and, let's say, the most persuasive leadership, ought to come from. Collectively as a nation, we have drifted a long way from the vision I projected in the national energy strategy document you hav

Natural Resources committee  I don't think we have a strategy today. We have a series of moving agreements and some policy fixes between provinces or parties, which don't have a long tenure. If we could change the way we look at how to react to markets and act more collaboratively, then we would be able to d

Natural Resources committee  That's fair. I would say that bringing the public in creates transparency in respect of what the decisions are and what's at stake. They should feel involved, but not afraid to call time out, not afraid to make a decision. They need to exert the unifying leadership that is the ma

Natural Resources committee  That is absolutely fair.

Natural Resources committee  Let me add one thing to what Professor Elgie said, and that is about the national accounts system. One reason we're entering into this discussion with Mexico and the U.S. is to try to imagine a regional framework that may in fact be a precursor to what you're talking about. It's

Natural Resources committee  Yes, sir—

Natural Resources committee  —we're at the far edge of being nibbled at.

Natural Resources committee  Yes, sir. I'll admit my bias at the front end. I'm a federalist by nature and demeanour, and I applaud the leadership of the federal government in taking a role in bringing everyone together, stating the unifying forms of the debate. I think that can do nothing but good if we sta

Natural Resources committee  I did write a report on that. You all have a copy of the link to it. Let me just summarize the conclusions and then point out what some of the probable opportunities are. The first conclusion is that it's taking a long time to get that plan and the investment proposals together

Natural Resources committee  I would say there are three things that the government can do to make sure that the products get to market in the form that is most competitive and in the most appropriate time. We can't manipulate the market to make things get there faster or slower or sell more rapidly than oth

Natural Resources committee  On the remark about the United States Department of Energy National Laboratories, they made an investment that started back in the 1950s to create energy research areas that could look at atomic energy, fossil fuels, and transportation systems. They made a tremendous investment i

Natural Resources committee  In one minute or less, let me say that in the documents I've submitted there's a link to the piece that I wrote and published three months ago on what the characteristics of a national energy strategy might be. Basically, it says that a strategic intent is not a plan. It's a vi

Natural Resources committee  We put ourselves at a competitive disadvantage by not collaborating with our neighbours. I thank you for the entry into that, because in seven days I'll be in Cuernavaca, Mexico, to outline a framework for a pan-North American energy strategy meeting that we hope to hold in Aug