With this law we are very much trying to build on the existing mandates and competencies of these three agencies. Therefore, you could look at the CRTC as the major organization charged with stopping the spread of spam and the use of spyware.
When we look at the other two agencies, we are trying to build on their mandates to make sure the Competition Bureau can apply its rules and its role around misleading and deceptive advertising in a computer environment. So we've enlarged their mandate, but they're using their existing tools.
With the Privacy Commissioner, we want to make sure she has the tools to prevent electronic lists from being created that can be then farmed and used for spam.
For the Privacy Commissioner and for the Competition Bureau, they have existing mandates. We're extending their mandates, but they're using their existing tool set. With the CRTC, we are creating, in a sense, another tribunal that will be able to look at violations with respect to spam and take action appropriately.
To ensure that coordination that you were concerned about, we are proposing a small organization within Industry Canada that would make sure that the three organizations are working together effectively to achieve the purposes of this legislation. It will make sure that when we look at our situation more broadly, Canada is continuing to not be a safe haven for spam, but a spam-free environment. So there will be a national coordinating body within Industry Canada that will make sure the three work together effectively.
There is also a spam reporting centre proposed where people could send reports of spam. It would serve all three agencies to prevent unnecessary duplication.