Colleagues, if I may, I'd like to ask a few questions while we have some time. I seem to exercise this right probably more than I should as chair. First of all, I want to thank all of you for coming and making your way here today. I found the conversation to be very enlightening.
As we wind down our study on access to information, we'll be going through the draft report that our analysts have prepared for us and will likely add some of the testimony that we've heard today. This meeting is also a segue into our resuming the existing study we have on the privacy legislation.
Given the fact that your study actually rewrote the legislation, because it's a joint role and responsibility in Newfoundland and Labrador.... Here at the federal level, of course, we have a commissioner for each role. Even though the budgets for the Privacy Commissioner and Information Commissioner are basically jointly held when it comes to the estimates and how those budgets are passed, each one has its own autonomy and authority to look after its legislative mandate.
Ms. Stoddart, I think you are uniquely positioned as a former privacy commissioner to tell us any of the things we need to look for as we move forward and transition into the study of the privacy legislation. My question for you is severalfold.
One, does it make sense at the federal level to even look at a potential model in which Canada would have commissioner for both access to information and privacy, or should we maintain the current yin versus yang, where we have an Access to Information Commissioner and a Privacy Commissioner? Would it make any sense having one such commissioner in terms of economy of scale, and would it make any sense in terms of the entirety of the process and an overall oversight point of view?
We also received a letter from the Privacy Commissioner as part of our mandate, who was very much concerned about opening up and broadening access to information as it pertains particularly to individuals' personal information and the ability of the Information Commissioner to have order-making powers to that effect. I'm wondering if you can give us any insight as we move forward on some of those concerns that have been brought up?