Agriculture committee  Yes. That's the cost that I identified.

Agriculture committee  Oh, absolutely. I wouldn't even consider it to be a bridge. I would consider it to be a good practice to leave in place. If a farmer is subjected to higher carbon taxes through grain drying, they should have the ability to implement 4R at a higher rate, for example, to reduce emissions that way at a cheaper cost.

Agriculture committee  It's inadequate in the agricultural sector, which is my prime area of expertise. I'll leave the discussion of remaining sectors to my colleagues. In the agricultural sector, one thing I mentioned in my opening remarks is that the vast majority of agricultural emissions are not covered by the current greenhouse gas pricing plan.

Agriculture committee  I don't think that is in the cards. I don't think agriculture is going to exist with non-fossil fuel technology, because I would certainly include nitrogen fertilizer in that category, due to how it's created through natural gas. I think the best you could hope for, if your goal was to eventually get to net zero—as the Canadian government has stated—is to get nitrous oxide emissions in line with the rate that's suggested by the social costs of carbon.

Agriculture committee  I would say to those who are skeptical of moving away from fossil fuels that the transition is coming and there are public policies we can undertake to make that transition not be as stark when it gets here. The prices in most renewable technologies are still too high to warrant widespread adoption, but taking steps now will help make that adoption much more convenient when it eventually happens.

Agriculture committee  In investment, especially in these areas, there's a lot of efficiency to be gained through the process of learning by doing. If we start investment now, what we learn every year will lead to a technology with a lower marginal cost when it's eventually deployed. That's one reason why the time path of carbon taxation is so important.

Agriculture committee  Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to thank the committee for the opportunity to appear today to discuss Bill C-234, which would eliminate carbon pricing on a farmer's use of natural gas and propane for grain drying and heating. The issue of carbon pricing in agriculture is contentious and complicated for many reasons that are already well understood by members of this committee.