One of the things I think about is how to communicate with citizens more effectively. What you've done in your riding with your seminars and discussions is very good, and it's a good step in the right direction.
We have to get to a point where Canadians understand what's happening, and we have to equip them to do that. Technology advances very quickly. You can see that with generative artificial intelligence, and other technologies will emerge. Sometimes Canadians may feel confused about it all because everything changes so quickly.
What can we do about it? Sometimes I hear people say it's too late to protect privacy because everything's moving too fast, and they give up. If there's one thing that I consider a concern, it's that.
I think it's important to tell people that we have to protect privacy, that it's possible to do so, that institutions can do it and that people can do it as well. Statutes will never be amended as quickly as technology evolves. The same is true of the regulations the government makes.
However, we need to pass legislation based on principles that can be applied to new technology. I'm a real believer in privacy risk assessments and in making them an obligation. I'm a true believer in transparency and in communicating more and more effectively with Canadians about what can be done with their information and how it will be used.
Consent provisions are often very hard to understand, even for experts. Consequently, people grow tired of it all. In the investigations I discuss in my report, whether they concern Canada Post, Home Depot or Tim Hortons, people are sometimes surprised by what's done with their information.
In our discussions with organizations, we asked them to be proactive and to make that information readily accessible. Sometimes their response is that their information is provided in the privacy policy on their website or at the post office. Then we tell them that they're asking Canadians to bear the burden of searching for that information when those organizations are in a better position to communicate it than they are.