Industry committee  Under the present act, if you change the purpose for which you're using and collecting personal information, you have to give a chance for reconsent. The Privacy Commissioner hasn't always received complaints on that type of approach, but at the moment at least, you could complain that the initial consent was based on a different set of terms and conditions.

Industry committee  If you brought a complaint, the business would probably raise that as one of its defences. I would think that it would also rely on proposed subsection 18(2) of the CPPA and say, “That's the way business is done in this business, and good luck with your complaint.” Taking out proposed section 18 completely would be our recommendation.

Industry committee  Thank you, Chair. The Public Interest Advocacy Centre is a national, non-profit and registered charity that provides legal and research services on behalf of consumers—in particular, vulnerable consumers. PIAC has been active in the field of consumer privacy law and policy for over 25 years.

Industry committee  On EU adequacy, unless the EU really looks the other way, any law in this mould certainly will be inadequate for European adequacy. In conclusion, this bill should be wholly rejected. Consumers are infinitely better protected under PIPEDA. The bill is a deliberate attempt to grease the rails for business and for AI.

Agriculture committee  I'll take that one, and I would say, yes, there are a number of sectors in Canada that don't have a dedicated regulator. Grocery and food is one of them. For example, on the code of conduct, which, as we've said, we do support in principle, neither our group nor any other consumer group, to my knowledge, is sitting around the table with the grocers and suppliers.

Agriculture committee  Thank you for your question. I will answer. In terms of giving powers to the Competition Bureau, we already made recommendations to that effect during the study in March. The bureau does not have the power to directly access supplier data, which could help it in its work. With respect to the creation of a consumer protection bureau, this is not something we were considering because it would cause difficulties and there are already a few agencies representing consumers in certain areas.

Agriculture committee  Amy is our expert on that. I'll leave it to her.

Agriculture committee  Yes. That would put some pricing pressure on the majors and also give more variety to consumers and support local businesses, keeping dollars in the community. Amy, I don't know whether you have anything to add.

Agriculture committee  That's a bit of a fraught question. My instinct is to think that there is some profit-taking by the grocery retailers rather than its being increased fuel costs. Amy, do you want to add anything?

Agriculture committee  Yes. We have had years of mergers in the grocery industry. We're reaping the benefit now, such that retailers can raise prices in a more comprehensive and quicker fashion than if there were more competitors. That's basically our bottom line.

Agriculture committee  We're supportive of the committee's study to examine food inflation. We hope that this ultimately results in more support for vulnerable consumers. Thanks very much. We look forward to your questions.

Agriculture committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair and honourable members. I'm the executive director and general counsel of the Public Interest Advocacy Centre. I'm joined today by PIAC's articling student Amy Hill. For the technicians and members, we will be sharing the speaking. PIAC is a national not-for-profit and registered charity.

Agriculture committee  This committee has heard extensive testimony about the grocery code of conduct. We understand from the testimony that this code is needed to govern the relationship between suppliers and grocers. PIAC does not oppose a code. PIAC is supportive of a code, so far as it provides benefits to consumers, such as increased supply chain resiliency and, in the long run, more innovative products.

Industry committee  You're right. I don't think planned obsolescence would fit well into this bill, but I do think the obligations that are in the French law to tell people what is replaceable and how long it will be available on the market would be helpful here. As long as you're not in a monopoly situation like John Deere, where only these guys, or maybe one or two other manufacturers, build what attaches to that equipment, in more consumer product areas, such as the smart home, you might have a choice of three, four or five smart home providers.

Industry committee  If I understand correctly, the manufacturer has to make an obligation to try to support the third parties, but they are not required to. If they are producing their own parts, I think they have to continue to make them available for five years beyond the time the product is first offered to the public.