Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I find it very disturbing to hear the comments from consumers and industry representatives. They claim that we may have to wait years to find out what we're going to do about this. I don't see what the problem is.
I think that good old fashioned common sense should prevail. What is personal information? Each of use has a driver's licence. We all have personal information. We know what we're referring to. We also know that certain information such as a credit card number or some such thing should not be disclosed to just anyone.
Therefore, in my opinion, when a consumer discloses personal information to someone, that person should be held responsible. Furthermore, persons or firms to whom personal information has been disclosed become the guardians of that information. If documents are lost, or if some facts are conveyed to other persons, that the individual who disclosed the personal information should be held accountable.
Secondly, the act should contain a provision whereby all costs, including those associated with credit cards, that may have been incurred because personal information was lost should be borne by the company that lost them, and not by the consumer who trusted this business.
What do you think about that idea? The onus should be on the company in question. The owner of a business should be able to protect the personal information of other individuals, of other consumers, as if this was his very own personal information.