Thank you very much to all for being here.
I want to pick up on a point that Mr. Dickson raised. He talked about the principles of PIPEDA. The number one principle is accountability. I know, Mr. Bennett, you also mentioned the process of information sharing. My question is a bit broader.
Domestically, we can have written sharing agreements between government institutions and government agencies, which I am sure will be followed by those relevant agencies. My concern is related to a written information agreement with a foreign government.
There are principles involved whereby the foreign government must itemize the requirement for that information and its use or maybe have a necessity test as to why that information is required. My fear is that if you are are divulging information about a Canadian citizen in Canada, and you have the agreement with a foreign government and those principles we have set out in our Privacy Act are met, there is still a lack of guarantee if that information crosses the border and goes to a specific government agency, whether it be national security, defence, or revenue.
How do we maintain the integrity of that information so it will not be divulged to the broader public or divulged within government agencies or institutions of that foreign government? How do we make sure this information is protected once it crosses the border?