Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
I also want to add my comments to those of my colleagues. I certainly think the way this motion reads in regard to expressing “profound disappointment” is totally out of line.
I really don't think that anybody could be expressing profound disappointment with the in-depth letter we received from the minister. I think the minister has given it a great deal of thought. I think he has put a great deal of information in this letter.
We know that the government is committed to protecting Canadians' personal information. We also know that the minister has stated that he appreciates all the work this committee has done in preparing its report.
He also goes on to say that there are a lot of other things that could be unintended consequences if in fact we follow through with what this motion is requiring. I don't think it behooves us as a committee to do that. I think our job here is to do the best job we can. By supporting this motion, I don't think we are doing that.
There are a great many things that are pointed out in the minister's letter, such as the fact that legislative changes recommended in the committee report could have serious impacts on other government operations, and not only on national information sharing, but on international information sharing.
These are extremely important issues. I think there are a lot of things that need to be looked at and studied before we start supporting a motion such as this.
The very fact that a lot of these things are called quick fixes certainly raises attention, in my mind. I think we've all been involved in different issues where we have seen that quick fixes, rather than in-depth consideration, have had negative unintended results. I don't think we want to do that with something as vitally important as this act. I think this act is at the very basis of Canadians' rights, and I think it deserves every bit of time we can spend on it. To support this motion is something I just cannot do.