Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I would like to take a few moments to thank you for being here and also for the quality of your presentations and your answers. This is really a very interesting meeting. The subject is fascinating and your comments make it all the more relevant.
A number of years ago, I was struck, as many are, by George Orwell's novel 1984. In the novel, the all-powerful government takes on the form of Big Brother watching over people's lives. The picture you are painting gives us the impression that the government could actually be a Big Brother. When the Conservatives introduce a bill like Bill C-30, we get chills up our spines, and with good reason.
But my impression is that we have a whole lot of “Medium Brothers” in the form of large Internet companies. They are getting to know our lives, to watch us, to know what we like and do not like, what we buy and do not buy, what interests us and what does not. Then they can go into action.
Is it your impression that online social media have become a bunch of Big Brothers?