Evidence of meeting #116 for Industry, Science and Technology in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was amendment.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB
Thank you.
You've used the term “legible” a few times—legible, less legible, more legible. What do you mean by that?
Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategy and Innovation Policy Sector, Department of Industry
Essentially, what the Department of Justice attempts to do is provide ease of interpretability, so when I say “legible”, I mean that it's easily interpretable and understood by those who are seeking to understand and utilize the legislation.
Conservative
Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB
Okay, so it's the same as when I read through notes and have headings, subheadings and bullet points. That is essentially what we're looking at in terms of the increased legibility of this bill.
Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategy and Innovation Policy Sector, Department of Industry
I'm not a legislative drafter, but I understand that this is understood to be convention for the ease of the reader.
Conservative
Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB
You're saying that even if you don't have a schedule 1, though, you could potentially have a schedule 2 and that this would still somehow increase the legibility of the bill.
Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategy and Innovation Policy Sector, Department of Industry
I believe we will come to the schedules of the artificial intelligence and data act when we get to the AIDA. This is the schedule of the CPPA.
Conservative
Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB
I understand that, sure, but if this amendment does not go through and then there is no named schedule 1, it would be confusing to have a named schedule 2. The two of them need to be discussed in conjunction with one another.
Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategy and Innovation Policy Sector, Department of Industry
The schedule we are referring to here is the schedule of the CPPA. The AIDA has schedules that we will contemplate, including potential amendments to those schedules. The legibility of the AIDA should be understood within the context of the AIDA.
Conservative
Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB
Why would it be called schedule 2 there instead of just the AIDA schedule 1? To your point, you have said there are three separate pieces of legislation here being discussed in an omnibus manner.
Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategy and Innovation Policy Sector, Department of Industry
As I understand it, right now, the proposal is to refer to the schedule in the AIDA as schedule 2. If this is not adopted, we will probably seek to refer to it as a schedule just like this one, as in it's not drafted as such—contrary to drafting conventions.
Conservative
Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategy and Innovation Policy Sector, Department of Industry
It's one bill and three laws.
Conservative
Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB
Okay. You have one bill and three laws being discussed as a collective.
Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategy and Innovation Policy Sector, Department of Industry
Yes.
Conservative
Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB
If schedule 1 is precluded from one of those laws, you're saying it won't have an impact on schedule 2 within the third law.
Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategy and Innovation Policy Sector, Department of Industry
We would probably seek to refer to it as a schedule, like this one is referred to as a schedule now. That will have to come when we get to the consideration of schedule 2.
Conservative
Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB
I understand that, but I think what we're seeing is that they are related in terms of the numbering scheme and the legibility of the bill.
Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategy and Innovation Policy Sector, Department of Industry
There is a relationship in the numbering, but one doesn't preclude the other. Calling it schedule 1 doesn't necessitate a schedule 2.
Conservative
Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB
Sure. It's not the content but in fact the naming that is no longer increasing the legibility of the bill.
Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategy and Innovation Policy Sector, Department of Industry
It is still the drafting convention to refer to it as schedule 1, as I understand it from the Department of Justice.
Conservative
Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB
Even if it doesn't pass, it will still be referred to as schedule 1.
Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategy and Innovation Policy Sector, Department of Industry
No. I'm sorry. Even if the anticipated outcome is that a schedule 2 doesn't exist, to refer to it as a schedule is still the drafting convention, as I understand it.
Conservative
Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB
I understand, but then schedule 2 will only exist if schedule 1 does.
Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategy and Innovation Policy Sector, Department of Industry
As I said, as a naming convention, schedule 2 will be schedule 2 if this is schedule 1. If this is just referred to as “Schedule”, there will probably be a move toward also understanding the schedule in the AIDA as an unnumbered schedule.