Industry committee  Thank you. I think I agree with the comments that have been mentioned so far. There's one thing I would add in order to make the bill more robust and future proof. Right now, in the minister's amendments, they've added value chain entities—for example, developing a model and making it available for use and operating.

Industry committee  If changes can be made via regulations, it's not an issue. Indeed, these decisions can be made via regulations, instead of being set out in the statute. If the legislation is flexible, it'll allow adjustments to be made as this field evolves.

Industry committee  I understand why we want to include that, because it's true that there are social repercussions. Personally, I think that this may be going too far, but the advantage of adding that to the schedule is that a decision can be made later as to what needs to be included or not and adjustments can be made through regulatory amendments.

Industry committee  That is a huge discussion. Alongside our efforts on Bill C-27, we're also calling for a national dialogue on AI because what the human being does in a context where everything can be done better by an AI system is a huge question. Precisely because it is smarter than humans, we could create a world that is better.

Industry committee  Actually, what the minister has suggested, with the powers to be able to audit and oversee operations, which is a huge one, is very important. Basically, you need a very competent group of skilled people in government who are on the ball with what's happening and can work with industry to let them know to hold off on this and work on that instead, for example...with safe harbours or regulatory environments as well.

Industry committee  The concern is absolutely valid. For the purposes of practicality, this is a huge issue. You're probably going to need dozens, if not hundreds, of staff. It will probably have to be in ISED because it has to be coordinated across government. I would highly recommend having an independent parliamentary office whose goal it is to oversee ISED to make sure it is not misusing the power.

Industry committee  There are many examples throughout history that demonstrate that it's never a good idea to let an industry regulate itself. Although the industry is demonstrating a lot of good faith right now, it's absolutely essential that this be enshrined in legislation, that the industry must abide by that law and that it be applied equitably to all companies.

Industry committee  Yes, absolutely. I'm aware of such concerns. I think Michael Geist was the one who said there was a promise to update the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act a few years after it came into force, but it never happened. When it comes to AI, I think that public concerns and political interests are significant enough to merit a legislative review.

Industry committee  Yes, absolutely. When it comes to jobs, there's a difference with previous technological revolutions. To date, humans have always been able to do something that technology couldn't. When that's no longer true, the very nature of the economy will change. As long as we're able to do something that AI cannot, there will be jobs.