Industry Committee on April 8th, 2024

[Samir Chhabra]

I apologize. I can say that again.

Proposed subsection 122(1) specifies how the Governor in Council may make regulations for carrying out the purposes of the act, and the recitals following that cover off the conditions that must be met and how you would go about doing that.

Proposed subsection 122(2) notes, “The Governor in Council may, by order” and so on. As to the point of proposed paragraph 122(2)(c), which is the specific part you referenced, the Governor in Council may amend the schedule where currently the World Anti-Doping Agency is referenced. The Governor in Council could add other organizations, or add or delete organizations from that list.

[Brad Vis, Conservative, Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon, BC]

I don't know the exact date anymore, but with respect to the naming convention, when we received the high-impact system schedule, schedule 2—just out of curiosity, because we've had such a fascinating discussion about it—did the Department of Justice write—

[Ryan Turnbull, Liberal, Whitby, ON]

I have a point of order.

[The Chair, Liberal, Joël Lightbound]

Go ahead, Mr. Turnbull.

[Ryan Turnbull, Liberal, Whitby, ON]

The member keeps referring to schedule 2. I think we over and over again have gone back to referring to schedule 1.

The amendment we're discussing and debating right now is only to add a “1” to “Schedule” to clarify. I don't know where Mr. Vis is going with this, but it's not relevant.

[Brad Vis, Conservative, Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon, BC]

I have been very specific and on topic, Mr. Chair, and I continue to be.

[Ryan Turnbull, Liberal, Whitby, ON]

No, you haven't.

[Brad Vis, Conservative, Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon, BC]

Yes, I have, because the department sent forward a number of amendments after the bill was tabled, and one of them was for schedule 2.

Did the officials from the Department of Justice have in mind this first amendment when schedule 2 was provided to Parliament after the bill was tabled?

[Mark Schaan]

I'm not aware of the exact line of thinking that went into the particular determinations, but there was a determination from the Department of Justice that the bill would be improved by naming schedule 1, and then schedule 2 would follow as a function of AIDA.

[Brad Vis, Conservative, Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon, BC]

Did the Department of Justice write schedule 2, or did the Department of Industry?

[Mark Schaan]

The production of government amendments went through a drafting process by which the Department of Justice and the Department of Industry collaborated to create the amendments that are before the committee today.

[Brad Vis, Conservative, Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon, BC]

This is of significance. Despite the badgering from Liberal members, the high-impact system, schedule 2, is legislation that everyone understands is going to have a big impact on Canadian society. I'm just trying to understand what the rationale or thinking of the officials was when they gave us an amendment, tabled before clause-by-clause, outlining a new schedule without giving us any context as to other changes that would be forthcoming.

[The Chair, Liberal, Joël Lightbound]

I know we're all eager to get to the end of this clause-by-clause and discuss the substance of schedule 2, Mr. Vis, but now—

[Brad Vis, Conservative, Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon, BC]

I'm not interested in the substance of schedule 2.

[The Chair, Liberal, Joël Lightbound]

—we're looking at the labelling, which is to add a “1”. That's amendment G-1. That's what's before this committee.

Are there any other comments on G-1?

[Brad Vis, Conservative, Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon, BC]

I've asked that—

[The Chair, Liberal, Joël Lightbound]

We can agree or disagree with the labelling. We will debate the substance, and we will debate the amendments you're referring to, but now we're on G-1, the very first of a big stack of amendments. It's a very simple one.

Mr. Williams.

[Ryan Williams, Conservative, Bay of Quinte, ON]

Mr. Chair, I will be relevant to this subject.

First, I just want to make a quick comment.

There have been some comments from the other side of the room that we're trying to filibuster or that we don't have the right to question. This bill is very important, and it's very important to Canadians. I know people in this room will get into privacy as a fundamental right and will get into some of the other substance of this, but it does stem from a government recommendation, and we have concerns with where this points to. Certain aspects of this bill will bring up big debates, and I think part of that is about understanding why these decisions were made and why we're going to be making further decisions down the road.

It is relevant in a lot of ways to ask why we have a schedule 1. My question for the officials is this. Besides schedule 2, which I seem to see in the amendments, are other schedules going to be introduced to this bill in any section or any part of it?

[Mark Schaan]

No, not to my knowledge. There is a schedule proposed for the CPPA and a schedule proposed for the AIDA.

[Ryan Williams, Conservative, Bay of Quinte, ON]

I'm sorry. You said no, but you answered yes.

Is there more than one schedule? Are we labelling a separate one? Is there one for the AIDA? Is that what you're saying?

[Mark Schaan]

I believe we already understand that there is a proposed amendment that would introduce the schedule to the AIDA, so those are the two schedules that are currently before the committee.

[Ryan Williams, Conservative, Bay of Quinte, ON]

Thanks. You misunderstood me. I just asked if there are more than the one here before us. In this amendment, there's a change to add a number 1 to the schedule, but to your knowledge there is another amendment coming to add a schedule 2. Is that correct?

[Mark Schaan]

There's one schedule to the CPPA, and this amendment seeks to label it as schedule 1.

There is a schedule proposed in later amendments to the artificial intelligence and data act, and that amendment proposes to call it schedule 2.

[Ryan Williams, Conservative, Bay of Quinte, ON]

To clarify, then, yes, there is a schedule for this one, and there's going to be a schedule for the AIDA proposed in the amendments, which I think others have been referring to.

Are there any other schedules being proposed or being talked about anywhere else in this document?

[Mark Schaan]

No, not to my knowledge. There are no other amendments that introduce schedules.