Information & Ethics Committee on Dec. 4th, 2006

Evidence of meeting #21 for Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was information.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

Statutory Review of the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA)

Committee Business

MPs speaking

Also speaking

John Gustavson President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Marketing Association

Don Brazier Executive Director, Federally Regulated Employers - Transportation and Communication (FETCO)

Edith Cody-Rice Senior Legal Counsel, Privacy Coordinator, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

Barbara Mittleman Director, Employee Relations, Canadian Pacific Railway Company, Federal Employers in Transportation and Communications

Barbara Robins Vice-President, Legal and Regulatory Affairs, Reader's Digest, Canadian Marketing Association

Wally Hill Vice-President, Public Affairs and Communications, Canadian Marketing Association

Clerk of the Committee Mr. Richard Rumas

5:25 p.m.

Bloc

Jean-Yves Laforest Bloc Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC

I have asked to speak. I had my hand up for some five minutes, Mr. Chairman.

5:25 p.m.

Conservative

David Tilson Conservative Dufferin—Caledon, ON

Mr. Chairman, on a point of order, you can't just jump in and say you want to say a few more things. We're in the middle of a vote here.

5:25 p.m.

Bloc

Jean-Yves Laforest Bloc Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC

On a point of order, Mr. Chairman.

5:25 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Tom Wappel

Mr. Tilson, apparently I did not see his hand. I think it's only fair, if he wants to address us, that he have the opportunity to do so.

Am I correct, Monsieur Laforest?

5:25 p.m.

Bloc

Jean-Yves Laforest Bloc Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

5:25 p.m.

Conservative

David Tilson Conservative Dufferin—Caledon, ON

With respect, Mr. Chairman, I looked over there, and there was no hand up.

5:25 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Tom Wappel

Well, you're not in the chair, Mr. Tilson.

5:25 p.m.

Bloc

Jean-Yves Laforest Bloc Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC

I do not understand, Mr. Chairman—

5:25 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Tom Wappel

I was looking at the speaker.

5:25 p.m.

Bloc

Jean-Yves Laforest Bloc Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC

This motion simply asks the Chair to write a letter, since we had previously passed a motion requesting the minister of Justice to table a bill by December 15. If we had said “On December 15“, I would understand the argument made by Mr. Tilson and Mr. Wallace, but that is not the case. We clearly said “by December 15“.

This is why, on any day, since the tabling of the first resolution, the minister of Justice could have brought forth this bill. Today, we simply ask the Chair to write a letter on behalf of the Committee, which is perfectly reasonable. It is even more justified in view of the fact that the government had committed to reform the whole area of accountability and responsibility. We therefore could expect that a large part of Bill C-2 would be about reforming the Access to Information Act. But this has not happened.

In view of this fact and on the initiative of Ms. Lavallée, the Committee passed motions directed to the minister of Justice. Indeed, he appeared before us and stated that, in his view, preparing a new Access to Information Act would not be such a large task.

This is why I have difficulty understanding why these arguments are made today, when our motion simply asks the Chairman to write a letter.

5:25 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Tom Wappel

Monsieur Laforest, excusez-moi.

It's now 5:30. Is it the unanimous will of the committee to proceed beyond 5:30?

5:25 p.m.

An hon. member

No.

5:25 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Tom Wappel

I adjourn the meeting.