We'll try to meet your expectations.
Good morning. We are pleased to be here to provide you with a progress report on the implementation of the electronic petition system.
I am accompanied today by Stéphan Aubé, Chief Information Officer, and Jean-Philippe Brochu, Deputy Principal Clerk in the Journals Branch.
Our objective is twofold. First, we will provide you with a progress report and brief you on some of the outstanding issues. Secondly, we'll show you some of the mock-ups—that's really the reason why you're here, I suspect—of what the e-petition website would look like. All of this should not take more than 10 to 15 minutes.
I am happy to report that the work is going very well. We expect to launch the website for the beginning of the new Parliament, as requested. The implementation of this new system will require $250,000 of new investments. The initial estimate based on Mr. Stewart's proposal, as you remember, was up to $200,000. The committee's recommendations were much more complex and required much more significant technological investments. That explains the difference.
In addition, an employee was hired to monitor the e-petition system and ensure it works properly. We set out to create a system that is both easy to use and very secure.
ln this regard, the report adopted by the House insisted on the importance of the protection of personal information and the integrity of the petition process. As a result, the system will also have the highest levels of privacy protections. Monitoring and verification mechanisms will also be included. Personal information will be deleted in accordance with the House's strict data retention policies, based on the model used for the departure of MPs.
Before we proceed with the mock-ups, we would like to draw your attention to two specific issues.
The first one is IP addresses. Under the proposed system, the clerk of petitions will have the necessary tools to further enhance the integrity of the process. The clerk may also withdraw invalid petitions or signatures that compromise the process.
Public IP addresses that belong to the federal government will be blocked.
The second issue concerns the posting of responses to paper petitions online. Obviously, responses to e-petitions will be easy to post online.
However, as you know, over 3,000 paper petitions are tabled in the House each year. A response is prepared for each one. Discussions are under way with our partners at the Privy Council Office—and they're going very well—but considering the scope of the project and the short deadline, online publication of responses to paper petitions will not be possible by the deadline, given the resources available. If the committee wishes, we can return after the launch to reconsider this option and report on the challenges involved.
Besides this specific issue, we are pleased to inform you that the other recommendations in the committee's report will be implemented with the opening of the next Parliament. For example, various guides and manuals will be prepared and made available. lt will be easy for individuals to follow the petition they signed through the various stages of the process. A section of the website will keep a record of all the petitions that have been published, sorted by Parliament, and accompanied by the response provided. All Canadians will be able to consult the website and find information on a given petition for a long period of time.
Finally, I wanted to mention that we have developed a communication plan to ensure a successful launch, and training sessions will be offered to interested MPs and their assistants.
Thank you for your attention. We would be happy to answer your questions right after Jean-Philippe presents the mock-ups.