I want to make a point, which is that protecting privacy is very important.
When the announcement was made about TikTok, I had a question about privacy. It said that TikTok, i.e., the Canadian subsidiary of TikTok, was banned from Canada, but that Canadians could continue to use the platform. When I heard this, I thought to myself: Wait a minute, is there a way to protect Canadians from unethical use, fraud or illegal sharing of their information? Indeed there is.
According to the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, the authorities and the Privacy Commissioner of Canada have a right of oversight, they have the responsibility to discipline, set things straight or take action against TikTok if there are violations in this regard, regardless of where the equipment is located, the famous servers. Apparently, this equipment is located in places like Singapore and in countries with which we have agreements and good relations. I was reassured to hear that.
The other aspect I wanted to raise is access to classified information. It puts some people here in a difficult situation, because some current and former members of the committee have sat on the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians. I don't think it concerns the members on the other side.
Of course, it's obvious and common knowledge that this decision was made for reasons of national security. National security involves access to classified information, which requires a certain security clearance. The clearance process is very strict. In fact, it's as strict, if not stricter, than at the Canada Revenue Agency: You have to accept the fact that you can't disclose or make public information that's related to national security.
I understand the reasons for the motion. I understand the concerns raised by my colleague, because I had the same concerns, namely whether Canadians and Quebeckers will be protected even if the TikTok subsidiary is closed in Canada. The answer is yes. They are protected.
I may have had another question on another point, but I won't even get into that. Honestly, I don't want to mix things up between committees. It would certainly be more appropriate to ask certain questions related to national security and intelligence elsewhere. So I think I'll stop here. I hope my colleague understands that my comments are well intentioned.
We've already studied TikTok and the other platforms, because we all share the same concern. We're wondering what power the government and police forces have, within a legal framework, to get their hands on a company that operates a platform that abuses Canadians' information. That's my point. Thank you.