Evidence of meeting #23 for Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics in the 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was chair.
A video is available from Parliament.
12:50 p.m.
Bloc
Rhéal Fortin Bloc Rivière-du-Nord, QC
Ms. Gaudreau had put a motion on notice regarding privacy protections, so I would ask that we deal with it now.
Would you like me to read it, Mr. Chair?
12:50 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Chris Warkentin
Was it a motion that had been tabled with the committee already?
12:50 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Chris Warkentin
I will suspend so that the clerk can find that and distribute it.
We'll suspend for a couple of minutes.
12:55 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Chris Warkentin
Colleagues, that has now been distributed to members, so I'll call this meeting back to order.
We have a couple of members who have their cameras off, but I'm assuming they're behind the blank screens.
Do I have anybody who would like to speak to the motion?
12:55 p.m.
NDP
Charlie Angus NDP Timmins—James Bay, ON
Thank you.
I appreciate my colleague bringing forward this motion.
I'm not against it. I'm wondering whether it's within the purview of our committee, or whether it should be under finance or one of the others. I would suggest that if we're going to do it, maybe we could begin with an initial set of meetings. I don't know how many meetings we'd have, but maybe we could talk to key people from the ministries, who could come and explain, and then we could decide where to go from there.
However, I don't have a problem with it.
12:55 p.m.
Liberal
Greg Fergus Liberal Hull—Aylmer, QC
I will pick up where Mr. Angus left off. Would it be possible to have the analysts prepare a policy paper, some sort of analysis to give us an idea of where things currently stand? I don't know whether it's something that has been done recently, but I know the practice existed in previous parliaments. It would help me better understand the situation as it relates to social insurance numbers. Perhaps the analysts could include a comparison with the system in Europe.
I would like that information before I commit to supporting the motion. It's not an issue I am familiar with, so it's important to know what's what before we jump into this.
Would that be possible?
1 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Chris Warkentin
We can ask our analysts to support us in different ways. I think it would be a reasonable request, and we do have time. We now have three studies that we've committed to. We have time to make determinations as to whether this is something we want to proceed with. We could ask our analysts to support us in that decision. That is a possibility.
Mrs. Shanahan.
1 p.m.
Liberal
Brenda Shanahan Liberal Châteauguay—Lacolle, QC
Thank you, Chair.
This is a topic that is definitely of interest to me, as many topics are. We've done a lot of work here today. I'd like to have a better understanding as well about the lay of the land. I seem to remember we did have some kind of discussion on this issue. I think it was Mr. Angus who gave us the Coles Notes on work that had been done in this committee in a previous Parliament.
Given the work that we have in front of us now, I'd like to have a better understanding, especially since the member who brought forth the motion in the first place is not here today. Maybe Madame Gaudreau would like to have an opportunity to speak on this. If we could get that summary or an overview from the analysts, we would then have time, either in committee or in subcommittee, to look at what the scheduling would look like. We have a lot on our plate right now. I'm just putting that out there.
Thank you very much.
1 p.m.
Bloc
Rhéal Fortin Bloc Rivière-du-Nord, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I understand what Mrs. Shanahan is saying. Hearing from Ms. Gaudreau on the motion could certainly be helpful. This is an important and pressing issue these days. Issues that were pressing before the pandemic are now even more pressing, so things are getting complicated.
If the committee members are amenable, I suggest the committee consider the motion at the first meeting next week. That way, Ms. Gaudreau could answer any questions the committee members may have.
1 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Chris Warkentin
I think I understand that you suggest that we wait until Madame Gaudreau returns to our committee and then she would be able to move that motion again and there could be a fulsome debate with regard to that, at some later meeting.
Maybe I'll ask the analysts to at least get us some preliminary notes with regard to the situation and how it might pertain to the mandate of our committee.
Very good. If there is nothing else—
1 p.m.
NDP
Charlie Angus NDP Timmins—James Bay, ON
I just want to clarify, because we've had a couple of different suggestions here.
I would prefer to actually get the report from the analysts before we're asked to vote on this, because I don't know.... It may be an urgent issue; it may not be.
As Madame Shanahan said—I am totally in agreement with her today and we're getting along like besties—we have a lot on our plate. If we had a report, we could look at it and then I would ask Madame Gaudreau to speak to the report. I would prefer to vote on it then, because we would decide whether it is an urgent issue or something we can put off until later.
1 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Chris Warkentin
That makes a lot of sense. I think there is agreement. There are a lot of nodding heads with that suggestion, so we will undertake that in that order.
Members, we've gone over time. The meeting is adjourned.