Information & Ethics Committee on March 22nd, 2018

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Zimmer]

I call to order the 96th meeting of the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics. Pursuant to Standing Order 108(3)(h)(vii), we are on our study of privacy of digital government services, a study of e-Governance Academy. We have with us, via teleconference, Liia Hänni, senior expert, and Raul Rikk.

We've just been informed that they have a presentation, but it's only in English. They don't have a French translation, so I'm going to seek unanimous consent that they can present that to committee at this time. Do we have unanimous consent?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Zimmer]

Thank you for that. We can go ahead with the English-only presentation.

Go ahead. Raul, can you hear us?

Go ahead, Mr. Erskine-Smith.

[Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, Liberal, Beaches—East York, ON]

Given that we have some time, Mr. Angus has a motion on notice with respect to the issue we read in the news about Christopher Wylie and Facebook. Our job is to protect Canadians' privacy as best we can, and so I would seek unanimous consent that we adopt that motion today.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Zimmer]

Has everybody seen the motion?

[Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, Liberal, Beaches—East York, ON]

If I can't formally adopt Mr. Angus's motion, then I move identical language.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, Liberal, Beaches—East York, ON]

With the analysts' consent, we can do anything.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Zimmer]

I was just talking to Jean-Denis, and what we need is unanimous consent to move the motion. Do we have unanimous consent to move the motion?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Zimmer]

Mr. Erskine-Smith, would you like to make your motion?

[Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, Liberal, Beaches—East York, ON]

I move, in the language of Mr. Angus's motion, that we invite Christopher Wylie, Facebook officials, and others, including the Office of the Privacy Commissioner, to discuss the recent privacy implications for Canada and Canadians with respect to the recent media attention of Cambridge Analytica.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Zimmer]

Would it be fair to say that the language is exactly the same as Mr. Angus's motion?

[Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, Liberal, Beaches—East York, ON]

It's identical language to Mr. Angus's motion.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Zimmer]

Go ahead.

[Anne Minh-Thu Quach, NDP, Salaberry—Suroît, QC]

I have the motion here. I'm not sure whether you'd like me to read it.

[Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, Liberal, Beaches—East York, ON]

Yes, I have it here.

[Anne Minh-Thu Quach, NDP, Salaberry—Suroît, QC]

I can read it, if you like. The motion reads as follows:

That, in light of the large data breach perpetrated by Cambridge Analytica and unreported by Facebook for several years, the Committee conduct a study of the privacy implications of platform monopolies and possible national and international regulatory and legislative remedies to assure the privacy of citizens' data and the integrity of democratic and electoral processes across the globe….

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Zimmer]

There's no translation coming, so I'm just wondering if it's....

[Anne Minh-Thu Quach, NDP, Salaberry—Suroît, QC]

Do I have to start over? Is the translation coming through now?

It's important that we have the translation, so that we don't have the motion just in one language.

[Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, Liberal, Beaches—East York, ON]

We have a motion in writing, though, from Mr. Angus, and we have unanimous consent to move that motion. We're simply adopting the motion from Mr. Angus, the notice of which we've already received. I don't even think it needs to be read out, frankly.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Zimmer]

For clarification, is that Mr. Angus's motion, an NDP motion?

[Anne Minh-Thu Quach, NDP, Salaberry—Suroît, QC]

Yes.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bob Zimmer]

You moved the motion. Is there any discussion about the motion? We'll vote on the motion.

(Motion agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])

Thank you, Mr. Erskine-Smith. Go ahead.

[Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, Liberal, Beaches—East York, ON]

In light of the fact that we have today's witnesses, then Mr. Fishenden on Tuesday and the former president of Estonia on Thursday, and then we're going to finish the net neutrality study, I would suggest that the subcommittee meet on Tuesday for the second hour, after Mr. Fishenden, to hammer out witnesses for this study.