The days of cheap and abundant oil are behind us. While the 'peak oil' debate rages, we know that our dependence on traditional fossil fuels must diminish. We must act now for the sake of the environment. Coal, oil and gas account for about 75% of Canada's total energy needs which is quite high by international standards (e.g in Sweden the comparable use is 35%). Alternative and renewable energy sources must displace the CO2 emitting conventional fuels so that the air we breathe will be cleaner and so that we can mitigate the very negative impacts of greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. Renewable and alternative energy options are many and varied - including wind power, solar energy, bio fuels, nuclear energy, water power, hydrogen-powered fuel cells, geothermal, and tidal power, to name a few.

Fastracking the development and deployment of the many alternative energy sources is an important role that the federal government can play. This is not the time to freeze programs like the Wind Power Production Incentive (WPPI) which the Conservative government has recently done. This program was launched by our Liberal Government to encourage, with financial incentives, electric utilities, independent power producers and other stakeholders to gain experience in this emerging and promising energy source. The program was producing results. Likewise, at the same time as the Conservative Government re-committed the federal government to implement a renewable fuel standard requiring a 5% renewable fuel content on average in Canadian transportation fuel, it was putting the very successful ethanol expansion program on the shelf! These actions are not consistent because this program is intended to expand fuel ethanol production and use in Canada. Canadian companies like Iogen are leading the way in cellulose based ethanol production. By using feedstock such as switch grass the efficiency of ethanol production can be increased by up to 50%.

How much of Canada's fossil fuel economy will be displaced by alternative and renewable energy sources? This is difficult to say but reducing these conventional fuels to 35% of our total energy consumption is an achievable objective. As an example, Canada is blessed with great wind resources which have the potential to contribute 15%-20% of our energy needs.

The transportation sector in Canada consumes large amounts of energy and contributes more than 30% of Canada's greenhouse gas emissions. This is why it is so important to displace the typical internal combustion engine with alternative fuel vehicles. Even as auto manufacturers develop their array of hybrid, alternative fuel, and highly efficient gasoline vehicles, there's a growing belief that the most viable longer-term alternative fuel for mass production may be hydrogen, with its most logical application being hydrogen fuel. Hydrogen fuel promises to eliminate all of the problems that the current fossil fuel economy creates by eliminating harmful emissions and greenhouse gases. Given the environmental advantages of hydrogen fuel, the push in this direction is very strong.

Reaching the goal of hydrogen fuel will take some time and so in the meantime it is important for the federal government to incent the development and deployment of other alternatives like the hybrid electric, electric, fuel cell and even natural gas powered vehicles. Fuel cell technologies, which combine hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity with only water and heat as by-products, hold great promise. This is why our Liberal government financially supported research in this area by leading Canadian companies - companies like Ballard Power Systems - and why this Conservative government should do the same through programs like Technology Partnerships Canada. We also need to provide some assistance to Canadian consumers who wish to purchase a hybrid fuel vehicle but are discouraged by the higher price which can range from $6,000 - $8,000 per vehicle. The federal government should introduce a tax credit or outright grant for hybrid vehicle buyers to eliminate this constraint. This type of measure was employed in the United States with great success. In that country the supply of hybrid vehicles is not able to keep up with demand!

A greater focus on energy efficiency and energy conservation must move in a parallel way with our efforts to increase the use of renewable and alternative energy sources. The Conservative government cuts of programs like the EnerGuide for Houses Retrofit Incentive Program and the EnerGuide for Low-Income Households are a big mistake. These programs should be re-instated. EnerGuide worked. It was helping thousands of Canadian households achieve energy efficiency increases in the range of 30 per cent - and it was doing this in a way that was cost effective.

The time for action is now. Canceling successful programs is not in the interest of Canadians as we take on the challenge of more responsible energy use.