Thanks, Chair.
I just want to underscore the points made and introduce a couple of new thoughts. Given the fact that this material is not just being kept for interest's sake, it could ultimately be evidence in potential criminal charges. If it's potential evidence in a court proceeding, why would we take the risk and leave it in private hands, given that we're talking about digital information that can be sent so easily? It's not like it's onerous or expensive or back in the day when it had to be all paper. It's potential evidence in court cases being kept in private hands, yet almost the push of a button would guarantee that that information remains in the public domain by virtue of being with the CRTC.
There are a number of other benefits, Chair.
Number one, the procedure for getting the information, for accessing it and releasing it, would become standardized so that once the first request came in to the CRTC, they would then, if they haven't already, put together the policy and the procedures whereby they could and/or would release the information. After that, every request would just follow the same standard, the same policy of the CRTC, and we have the added benefit that that policy can be looked at by the public because the CRTC is in the public domain. Not only that, if you think conversely that that same information resides with all these multiple, private entities, the ability to get information in a timely fashion...especially since there's no power to compel any kind of evidence that the Chief Electoral Officer has been asking for. So this really important, critical evidence is in the hands of a multitude of private entities, and each one may or may not be the easiest to work with in terms of responding to requests for information. So, at best, we could end up with a patchwork, where some give the information in its entirety and some don't. Some refuse to give it, and we have to go through a whole procedure. Others are dragging their heels. All these problems are quite legitimate and can come up, and they're all avoidable. It's all of that, including the issue I raised earlier about a company being structured just for the election, performing this function, and then wrapping up after the election. There's no means under the law to get that information.
So, all of this information is being left deliberately in the hands of private individuals and private companies, yet it's public information. We're actually making laws that force them to give that information. So this amendment just makes all the sense in the world. With a push of a button, that information is transferred over to the CRTC. There it is in the public domain. It's accessible, it's transparent, and everything's fine. We avoid all those other concerns, including anybody who has tried to set up a front organization. It wouldn't be a front. It would be a real organization, a real numbered company, and then it just evaporates six months after the election.
All those concerns, Chair, every one of them is dealt with by adopting this motion.
So, if the government is serious about wanting to make sure there's a trail so that officials can go back and confirm that everything was done according to the rules—but that trail could be disrupted if we leave it the way it is—we could correct all of that with one motion. We could make sure that that information is there should it be requested afterwards. If they don't support this, then, again, one has to be suspect, and history will tell. We'll just see what happens after the next election, and we will see if they don't support this now how this measure being in place would avoid those potentials. I'm willing to bet they're going to be there. We won't know for sure till it happens, but we could be super safe and super sure if we just pass this motion.
So I put it to the government that if they are serious and sincere about wanting to actually have this information, this potential evidence accessible after the election, then the only thing that makes any sense is to put in a law that says they have to push the button that sends the information into the public domain, and then the goal the government says they want to achieve, can be, with the guarantee.
Right now, like a lot of things, it sounds good, but the end result may be very different.
Thank you, Chair.