Thank you, Chair.
Thank you very much for your presentations.
I'm really interested in the comments you've made on your participation in the development of PIPEDA, the hearings that were held before the industry committee when the previous government brought it forward, and the experience of the five years and where you see weaknesses.
Mr. Bennett, you talked about the model being quite innovative in the sense that it was built on the basis of the CSA standards and the understanding that the industries would actually conform to it and build from there. Do you think with that model, which you appear to feel was the right way to go, that possibly the weakness of the legislation is precisely on the commissioner's side in the sense that it is in fact an ombudsman model, and you have large numbers of companies that aren't even aware of the legislation? If they're not aware, how can they comply? Also, a large number of Canadians were not aware of the legislation; therefore, how can they ensure as much as they can that their rights are in fact being respected?
If the commissioner had executory powers, the power to issue orders and order compliance, that would then bring a significant amount of publicity, and there would be a certain level of public education on the legislation both within the private sector and amongs Canadians--what it's about, what their rights are, what their duties are, etc. Do you think that's a missing piece in the legislation?