Simply to describe what is the impact of that order, that order is an executive order that does not change U.S. law. It's an executive order by the President of the United States. It says to U.S. officials that, to the extent that privacy protections of a discretionary administrative but not legal nature were offered to non-U.S. citizens previously, these protections are at the very least at risk. Canadians who until then, and perhaps now—we'll see what ministers say in response to my letter—had certain administrative protections under, say, the Five Eyes alliance, such that those countries do not spy on one another's citizens. That's not a legal instrument, but an administrative agreement that provides certain administrative protections to Canadians. Certain border arrangements, also of an administrative nature, provide certain privacy protections to Canadians.
The executive order can be read as saying these discretionary protections for non-U.S. citizens no longer apply. The order is ambiguous. It can have that impact. I have written to three Canadian ministers so that they can determine through conversations with their U.S. counterparts how the U.S. administration will actually apply this order. I'm simply saying there's a risk here. I've asked the Canadian government to verify how the U.S. administration will apply the order. Will it reduce the privacy protections of Canadians in the U.S.? I'm told that within a few weeks I will have an answer to my query to the Canadian government.
I'll receive an answer from the Canadian government, and then I'll have to assess what the effect of that order is exactly, and I'll need to inform Canadians—I feel I need to inform Canadians—of what the effect of the order is on their level of privacy protection in the U.S., for instance, when they appear at the U.S. border, or when they use electronic means of communications where their data may go through the U.S. in going to a merchant, a colleague, a friend, etc.
In terms of resources, we will give advice to Canadians on what we think the consequences of the order are. I think that's an important activity to undertake. I don't think it will be hugely expensive. The issue is to determine what is in fact the impact of that order on the protections to privacy of Canadians in the U.S.