Human Resources committee  As you can see, many issues relate principally to new demographics, the emergence of a new generation and the transformation of Canada’s grid. We understand that you cannot resolve all these issues with a wave of a magic wand. But there is one issue I'd like to bring to your attention that could be considered low-hanging fruit, so to speak, and one that, with your help, could be addressed with relative ease.

Human Resources committee  Thank you very much. I'm Francis Bradley, a vice-president at the Canadian Electricity Association. The Canadian Electricity Association is the national voice in matters of electricity in Canada. Across the country, our members provide day-to-day electricity production, transportation and distribution services to industrial, commercial, residential and institutional clients.

Finance committee  Yes, absolutely. For the question as to whether or not it should be financial instruments or commanded patrol, my answer would be that it eventually will be both. What we're talking about here is anticipating that at some point in time there will be indeed regulations, there will be a carbon-constrained future that we will all be operating in.

Finance committee  Yes, and thank you very much for the question. The smart grid is on the minds of a lot of people and is certainly attracting a great deal of attention in the media. It has attracted the attention of the Obama administration in the United States. Smart grid is all about how we're going to accommodate new technologies on both sides.

Finance committee  Absolutely.

Finance committee  In certain circumstances that may indeed be the case, but if we're looking at trying to develop something that will be large-scale, we are not yet at a point where the technology is commercially viable. If that were the case, we certainly wouldn't be looking for this kind of treatment.

Finance committee  Well, if we look at the example of some of the specific areas where this would apply, we're talking about regions of the country that rely heavily on thermal resources for their electricity generation. We are talking about investments already in existing plants that are running and have been running for quite some time.

Finance committee  Thank you, Chair. Founded in 1891, the Canadian Electricity Association is the voice of the electricity business in Canada. It is comprised of public and private enterprises and represents the entire electricity value chain, from production to delivery to clients, from coast to coast.